The Names We Carry
by SugarBeatAngel
Summary: Ulquiorra finds himself alive and well in Soul Society with no idea why/how he got there. His only goal now is to find out the meaning for his existence which may prove to be more trouble than he bargained for, especially with the appearance of Orihime.
1. Learning to Walk Again

Hello and welcome, everyone!

This is my FIRST Bleach fic (holy crap!) so I hope you'll all bear with me while I get into the groove of things.

Seeing as this is a different fandom from where I usually dwell, I'm assuming I'm going to be getting at least a handful of new readers so I feel it's appropriate to give you new readers a run down of how I operate.

I don't respond to reviews directly. I just don't and I'm sorry. That isn't to say that I don't love EACH AND EVERY review that I get because I do. I adore them! But I just don't think it is fair to respond to some reviews and not others, therefore I respond to none. Instead, I address the reviews in the following chapter which means if you leave a review asking a question on chapter three, it will be addressed in the AN for chapter four.

That being said, I will never ask for reviews. I believe that having the respect and courage to write a review is up to the reader and nobody should feel pressured to do something they aren't comfortable with. Review if you wish to. I will appreciate it greatly.

Updates will come fairly regularly, at least once a week if not more. The only time I deviate from this pattern is if I am going on vacation or if there are some kind of unavoidable happenings in my life that prevent me from doing so. Having said that, please don't pester me with "update soons." It's a waste of a review when you could have so many more things to say. I don't mind you saying "update soon" in a review as long as you have something more valid to say but please make sure that isn't the only thing your review consists of.

I'm prone to go on long winded rants at any given moment about things that have nothing to do with the story at all so please just bear with that. I like to have close and personal relationship with my readers.

It shouldn't need to be said but if you have any negative feelings about UlqHime, don't be the idiot that complains about it in a review. Seriously. Just hit the backspace button and go find a fic that appeals to your particular ship because nobody here that enjoys UlqHime is going to have the time, nor the want to deal with your idiocy.

Moving along to the actual story itself:

I hate song fics. I hate them! But that doesn't mean I can't feel inspired by songs that help influence a story. Music right now is fueling this story so in the AN before each chapter you will likely see a * or 4 symbol with a song title somewhere beside it. As you read through the story you will see these symbols again. Just know that they are there for you (if you so wish) to look up the lyrics/listen to the song that the particular scene corrilates with. This is the first time I've tried this method so we'll see how it works. The symbols of course represent who's point of view the song represents; * being Orihime and 4 being Ulquiorra

For all intents and purposes of information, TEN YEARS have passed since Chapter 353/Episode 272. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ/SEEN PAST THIS POINT DO NOT READ THIS FIC. THERE ARE SPOILERS!

I dropped all the honorifics (with the exception of Yachiru) for two reasons. One, I was too lazy to go back and figure each and every different honorific the characters refered to each other with. The second reason is that I figured they've all known each other long enough by now that they're sort of all close enough to drop all of the formalities. So, if it truly bothers you that all the honorifics aren't there... well, use your IMAGINATION.

And before this AN gets to be longer than the chapter, PLEASE ENJOY THE STORY!

4 Walk- Foo Fighters

* * *

><p>(4) Ulquiorra Cifer had been with the Gotei 13 for nearly six years and that in itself was quite a feat. Achieving a position as a seated officer in the eleventh division was an even greater accomplishment when one took everything into consideration.<p>

When he first came to Soul Society not a single person would look his way. He found himself waking up in the slums of Rukongai with no sense of where he was or how he had arrived there. He had no recollection of anything, even of his former self. He'd spent his first few days wandering around until slowly, bit by bit his memories came piecing back together.

He was Ulquiorra Cifer, Quatro Espada and he was a Hollow. And yet his Hollow hole had completely disappeared. In fact, many things about his appearance had changed. He no longer resembled a Hollow. His flesh was no longer pale and the remnants of his mask were nowhere to be found. His hair and eyes had stayed the same but everything else seemingly changed. It was then that it dawned upon him that he must be in Soul Society.

If he had been forced to guess as to how his former enemies would receive him, he wouldn't have been too far from the reality of it all.

He was shunned initially. As soon as he made any effort to contact the Shinigami he was entirely shut off from them. It wasn't as though he didn't understand their treatment of him. In fact it made the most sense of everything that was happening to him. However that didn't mean that he was planning on giving up. He had questions and he wanted answers. Nobody outside of the Shinigami would have enough knowledge to tell him just exactly what was occurring to him. It had to be them.

It took three years and numerous tries to get any sort of acknowledgment from the Shinigami but when he finally did, it came in the form of Kenpachi Zaraki.

The bizarre Captain of the eleventh division had become intrigued when he learned that Ulquiorra, the Espada that had nearly defeated Ichigo Kurosaki was now in Soul Society. He took an immediate interest in the former Arrancar and allowed him to enter Seireitei against the wishes of Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

Understandably, Kenpachi was reprimanded for his impudence but in the end the result was in Ulquiorra's favor. He would be allowed to apply to Shinō Academy although Central 46 would be keeping a very close watch over him.

He passed the entrance exam with ease and was placed in Class #1; the special accelerated program. He was at both an advantage and a disadvantage as a former Hollow. Unlike his classmates, he knew how to harness and use his Reiatsu but the way the Arrancar used their Reiatsu was significantly different from the Shinigami. He had to retrain his body to use its abilities in a different way. Fortunately he was a fast learner.

He was an outcast from the rest of his class. Many of them had either heard the truth about him or they believed some form of horrid exaggeration about him. Either way it only gave him incentive to finish his training as fast as he could. He was able to graduate in a little over a year at the academy, an achievement that would have earned him praise had he not already been condemned by most of the members of the Gotei 13.

When Central 46 finally gave him approval to apply to one of the divisions of the Gotei 13, finding a squad that would accept him proved to be another challenge. The 6th, 7th and 10th divisions piqued his interest initially but all denied him, directing him to apply at either the 4th or 12th division instead. Likely, these were squads that he was considered to do the least amount of damage in should things go awry.

It was then that Kenpachi Zaraki showed his face again. He claimed Ulquiorra for his own squad and although the former Hollow had no interest in joining a division that specialized in violence, he acknowledged that he had little other choice. He was soon after seated as an officer in the fourth seat; an idea that served to amuse and yet unnerve him.

More than anything, he was concerned with learning why he simply had not disappeared. Every ounce of logic dictated that he should be dead. Yet here he was in Soul Society, a Shinigami no less. It was a concept he struggled to grasp, especially because the moment of his supposed death was the most vibrant and forthright memory in his mind. He couldn't let anything get in his way of finding his answers.

Six years later and his search for resolution proved fruitless. What little information he was allowed access to said very little about Hollows and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the man he considered to be most knowledgeable on such matters seemingly loved to taunt him with vague answers to his questions.

Instead he spent a lot of his days wandering around in Seireitei doing menial tasks and performing guard duties in the evening. His Captain, Kenpachi had insisted that Ulquiorra grow to be as strong as he had been previously but he had no interest in that. He already had the eyes of all the Shinigami watching and waiting for him to give them an excuse to eject him from the Gotei 13. The last thing he wanted was to give them a legitimate reason. It was also unsettling to him that Kenpachi's only concern in his strength seemed to stem from the man's own desire to fight against Ulquiorra, an idea which the former Espada wanted no part of.

Ulquiorra had just about adjusted to the idea that the rest of his existence would follow a path of unanswered questions and simple tasks but in one instant everything would be turned upside down.

It was on a day just like any other day in Seireitei. The sun was out, the wind was mild. It was a decidedly very boring day and it was just how Ulquiorra had become accustomed to liking it. Quiet and boring meant little potential for something to go awry. He stood at his post as alert as he could be and watched quietly as a few clouds passed overhead. He heard the sound of footfall in the distance and no sooner had he turned to look did his Lieutenant round the corner. "Lieutenant Kusajishi, is there an emergency?"

"Hollow Man!" Yachiru said excitedly. "Did you hear? Did you hear?"

Ulquiorra grit his teeth at the term "Hollow man" but he ignored it. It wasn't as though anybody called him by his actual name anyhow and it was the least of his concerns now with his Lieutenant standing before him flustered and in a hurry. "Hear what, Lieutenant?"

"She's here! She's here!" Yachiru exclaimed but Ulquiorra seemed even more confused than he had been a few seconds prior. She huffed in irritation and reached up to grab his hand. "Come on! You have to see!"

Ulquiorra pulled his hand from his Lieutenant's and shook his head. "I can't leave my post."

"Sure you can! Ken-chan won't mind!" Yachiru recaptured Ulquiorra's hand and began to tug at him. "Come on! Come on! It's an order!"

Ulquiorra let out a small sigh and relented to follow the Lieutenant. He let her drag him around for half an hour, leading him to dead end after dead end before he finally put a halt to the running. "Lieutenant, where are you leading me?"

"Shinō Academy!" Yachiru said as she continued along. "It's this way! Let's go!"

But Yachiru was headed in the wrong direction and unfortunately for Ulquiorra, he couldn't correct the Lieutenant. He had seen her wrath first hand when Makizō Aramaki had once tried to correct her directional skills. He knew it would likely be a full hour before they arrived at the academy. In that time, there was no telling what they would be missing at the academy that Yachiru wanted to see so badly. But soon after they had stopped, they ran into Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa; either a stroke of extreme luck or extreme misfortune.

"Hey Lieutenant! Hey Hollow boy." Ikkaku greeted the two with a wave. "Where you headed?"

"To the same place as us, no doubt." Yumichika answered for the two. He quickly turned his eyes from Yachiru to Ulquiorra and back again. "Lieutenant, do you really think it wise to bring him along considering... the circumstances?"

"Of course I do! It'll be fun!" Yachiru replied cheerfully.

"And if Captain-Commander Yamamoto is there?" Yumichika asked. "The situation could turn ugly. That would be unfortunate."

"Silly Yun-Yun! I wouldn't be bringing him if I thought Gramps was going to be there! All the Captains are having a meeting." Yachiru smiled cutely. "You should go with us! It'll be fun!"

Yumichika sighed and shrugged. "If you say so Lieutenant. I just hope that there aren't any incidents."

"Incidents?" Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika curiously. The Lieutenant and the fifth seat officer were being strangely cryptic and he couldn't shake the feeling that it all had to do with him and whatever was happening at the academy. The last thing he wanted was to be involved in any incidents. To anger the Shinigami now meant imprisonment. "Perhaps I shouldn't go."

"Perhaps you shouldn't." Yumichika agreed in a cheerful tone but the look on his face was as cold as ice. "Either way, we'll be continuing on. Let's go Ikkaku."

"You don't have to be such a meany head!" Yachiru said as she stuck her tongue out at the two retreating officers. "Come on, let's follow them!" She began to pull Ulquiorra along but he wasn't budging so she turned to look back at him.

Yachiru's questioning eyes looked up at Ulquiorra and he knew he had to answer her so he decided to be straight to the point. "I shouldn't go. I became a Shinigami because I wanted to find the reason for my existence here. In all logic, I should not have survived the fight with Ichigo Kurosaki. Despite that, I'm here and all I wanted was answers. I'd be foolish to think that the Shinigami have accepted me as one of their ranks. In fact, I know they have only let me this close because they realized it was more beneficial to keep me under their thumb than at a distance. All they need is one excuse to imprison me so I do whatever it takes to stay out of trouble."

"But that would make Ken-chan sad." Yachiru said with a pout. "Ken-chan wants you to be your strongest! You can't be your strongest if you try to stay out of trouble! You shouldn't worry about what the others think. When Ken-chan came here he killed the old Captain and that's how he became Captain. A lot of people were mad at Ken-chan but Ken-chan just got new friends that didn't care about what he did. You're Ken-chan's friend like Icchi is Ken-chan's friend! That means you're my friend and I don't care about what you did. Ken-chan and I will protect you!"

Ulquiorra felt impacted by Yachiru's words. For the first time in a long time he understood an emotion. Yachiru's words had made him feel happy. Most times he just felt unease. He stared down at the Lieutenant and nodded slowly.

"Good! Now let's go before you miss your chance to see something you might never have the chance to see again!" Yachiru gripped Ulquiorra's hand and dragged him after Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Following the two seated officers lead them quickly in the right direction of Shinō Academy. When they arrived at the academy there was a large crowd of students and fellow Shinigami alike. All of them were huddled around something and the commotion was so loud that Ulquiorra could barely hear Yachiru's demand to get closer.

Ulquiorra allowed Yachiru to pull him into the sea of bustling people but because of his average height it was hard to see much in front of him. He could vaguely make out the forms of Rangiku Matsumoto and Shūhei Hisagi at the center of the group. It was clear they were talking to someone but he couldn't see who.

Yachiru tugged at Ulquiorra's sleeve eagerly. "Can you see? Can you see?"

Ulquiorra looked down at his Lieutenant and shook his head. He turned his eyes back to the center of the massive group and just as the crowd parted enough for him to get a glance at who the two Lieutenants were talking to, he felt a shove from behind and he went rocketing into the center of the ruckus. Everything went silent as his hands hit the ground, the sound echoing through the courtyard. Ulquiorra kept his gaze down as whispers started to fly around him. It wasn't until he heard an eerily familiar voice that he looked up.

"U-ulquiorra... Cifer?"

A panic filled the former Hollow in a way that he had never felt before. He could feel the stares of all those around him burrowing into him but none was more intense than the gaze of the person before him. "W-woman..." He made a motion to stand quickly and as soon as he did he felt himself being restrained. He looked to either side of him to find Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira keeping him held back. In just those few moments he had gotten himself into more trouble than he had ever bargained for. He felt the two Lieutenants dragging him away and he knew he was going to be locked away forever, assuming they didn't decide to kill him. But before he could be taken completely away he heard the most beautiful sound. Orihime Inoue was calling out in his defense.

"Wait! Please stop!" Orihime bolted through the crowd after the three. She stopped just short of them and stared at Ulquiorra in disbelief. "Please, would you let him go? I want to speak to him."

Izuru looked from Orihime to Momo and nodded slowly. He released his grip on the former Espada and bowed to Orihime. "We'll be just a few feet away if you need us."

"Thank you." Orihime bowed her head to Izuru and Momo before turning her eyes to Ulquiorra. "I never thought I'd see you again. I'm... so happy."

Ulquiorra took a step back from Orihime and stared at the woman in wonder. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Orihime smiled softly to hide the sadness that she knew was evident in her voice. "I died."

Ulquiorra looked her over curiously. "How?"

"It's not important." Orihime took a step toward Ulquiorra but he only took a step back from her. She forced a smile and placed her hands behind her back. "You've changed. You look different. I wouldn't have even recognized you if it wasn't for your eyes. You always looked so melancholy."

Ulquiorra stood staring at the woman before him. It had been ten long years since he last saw her face. Her appearance hadn't changed and yet she seemed infinitely older. It seemed likely that her experiences in Hueco Mundo and afterward had aged her significantly but even still, she retained a child-like sense about her.

He didn't know what he should say to her. It was true that from time to time he would think back on the occurrences in Hueco Mundo, especially his own death. He remembered how he had come to understand the concept of the human heart and that understanding stemmed from his relationship with her. He even pondered what it might be like should he ever get the chance to tell her just how much she had impacted him. Now he stood within five feet of her and he couldn't even bring himself to speak.

"The Shihakushō looks good on you." Orihime said to break the silence. Ulquiorra seemed uncharacteristically timid to her. Every small movement she made seemed to send him back a step. He wasn't the same Ulquiorra she had known in Hueco Mundo. The old Ulquiorra showed no fear, not even in the face of death and certainly not toward the likes of her. Now he looked defeated and helpless, a fraction of the man he once was. His gaze had always had a sense of sadness to it but now he looked all out broken. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been through in the past ten years that he had been in Soul Society to make him seem so crushed. She took another step toward him but this caused him to completely flee. She watched sadly as he disappeared quickly into the distance. The silence that had surrounded them erupted into a loud chatter and soon she had some of the Lieutenants at her side.

Izuru looked to Orihime with concern. "Are you alright?"

Orihime nodded quickly and turned her gaze from the distance to Izuru. "Yes. I'm fine."

Izuru nodded and forced a smile. "That's good. Shall I escort you to where you can take the entrance exam? I think the time has passed but they'll probably make a special exception for you."

"Oh no you don't, Izuru!" Rangiku scolded as she came walking up. "There's no way I'm going to let you try to talk Orihime into joining your squad! She and I are kindred spirits! She's going to join the 10th division when she graduates. Isn't that right Orihime?"

Orihime smiled sweetly and shrugged. "That's still quite a long time from now. I don't know which squad I want to join yet but I'm probably best suited to join the 4th."

Isane Kotetsu smiled at this and nodded to Orihime. "We would love to have you. You would be a great asset and I think the division suits you."

"Shame on all of you Lieutenants." Ikkaku said as he clapped his hands to gain their attention. "The poor girl is barely here a day and already she's ambushed as a celebrity by her future classmates and here you're all trying to recruit her before she even gets accepted to the academy."

"You're one to talk, Madarame." Rangiku replied with crossed arms and a look of irritation. "Your Lieutenant is here too."

Ikkaku shrugged. "Mischievous purposes, no doubt. She wouldn't be here to recruit Inoue. There's no place for her in our squad. I agree, she'd be better suited for the 4th division but that's a long way from now. Isn't it Inoue?"

Orihime nodded quickly. "I have a long time to decide."

"Meanwhile, I think we should all let Inoue get some rest. I'm sure it has been a very long and very tiring past couple of days." Yumichika smiled to Orihime. "I bet you'd like to rest, right Inoue?"

"I suppose I should before I take my entrance exam." Orihime smiled as Yumichika and Ikkaku ushered all the other Shinigami away and the students returned reluctantly to their classes. "I'll see you soon, everyone!" She watched as the members of the Gotei 13 disappeared in the same direction Ulquiorra had and she let out a heavy sigh. "Ulquiorra..."

"Don't be sad, Jiggles!" Yachiru said happily as she jumped up to latch onto Orihime. "Hollow Man is just worried because none of the Shinigami like him besides me and Ken-chan."

"Y-yachiru!" Orihime was taken by surprise when the pink haired Lieutenant seemed to appear out of nowhere. She looked down at Yachiru before turning her gaze back to the distance. "None of them... like him?"

"Not even our squad." Yachiru said plainly. "Some people are nice to him because they want to please Ken-chan. Others are nice to him because they fear him. But nobody really likes him."

Orihime felt strangely overwhelmed by sadness at hearing this. "I wonder why."

"That's a funny thing to say!" Yachiru said with a giggle. "The why is because he used to be our enemy! He kidnapped you and he made everybody believe you betrayed us. He used to be a real meany!"

"But you said you and Zaraki like him." Orihime smiled down at Yachiru. "So that means maybe the others could grow to like him too!"

Yachiru looked up at Orihime curiously. "Did you grow to like him when he was still being a meany?"

Orihime nodded. "Yes I did... very much."


	2. This Clock Never Seemed So Alive

Alright lovelies, we're off to a kickin' good start so far.

Apologies ahead of time for any wonkiness. The "ō" for some reason makes the following word jump to a new paragraph when I upload it as a new chapter so I have to go in and fix it all manually. If I miss any, let me know and I'll fix it right away. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I'm uploading today because I will be quite busy this weekend. Tonight I will be going to visit my cousin in the hospital at UCLA. It's her 21st birthday and she has Leukemia so instead of taking her out to drink at a bar (which was our original plan a year ago) I'm going to surprise her with a visit in the hospital. Saturday and Sunday will be spent building a Halloween maze at work with my boss for Halloween and of course, Monday being Halloween, I will be busy all day.

So I shall upload for you today and try my hardest to upload for you on Tuesday.

As for reviews, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far!

Orihime drinking sake, yes. It was already planned but I'm afraid it isn't going to be as wild and crazy as it could be.

Her interactions with Ulquiorra should be giving you all a bit of what you crave in this chapter. I hope it doesn't disappoint. :3

Also, let it be known that I have a huge chub for Romeo and Juliet. This is the second story that I've written where I referenced Romeo and Juliet heavily so... yeah. Shoot me but I can't help it. I love R&J so much.

Enjoy and if I don't talk to you sooner, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

4 You and Me- Lifehouse

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><p>Ulquiorra stood at his post inhaling and exhaling slowly to put himself at ease. Of all the terrible things to happen to him, Orihime Inoue had to be it. Given his history with the woman it was no surprise that Lieutenants Kira and Hinamori reacted the way they did. In fact, Ulquiorra was shocked that he hadn't been arrested by now. He expected punishment to come swiftly so when it didn't come it made him feel frantic.<p>

He hated the feeling of uncertainty. When he was an Espada there was not a single thing that he wasn't certain of. He knew that if he followed orders, if he acted rationally, if he was simply useful then his position would be guaranteed. He was completely secure.

But now he was walking on egg shells around the Shinigami all because he was determined to find out why he hadn't died. For six years he tip toed around situations he perceived to be dangerous simply to gain the knowledge he realized he would never achieve as to why he had lived when he should have been dead. As a Hollow he was prepared to accept death. As a Shinigami he feared it. He supposed fear was another part of being a Shinigami that was different from being a Hollow. He understood more than ever how Orihime was able to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Having a heart made it possible for one to feel pain, fear and even joy but mostly, Ulquiorra noted it made one feel weak.

He heard approaching footsteps and cringed inwardly. At this point he wasn't sure if he'd rather it be someone come to arrest him or someone from his division. It turned out to be the latter; Ikkaku and Yumichika returning from the academy.

"My, my. What a hideous display. Don't you agree, Ikkaku?" Yumichika said as he walked past Ulquiorra. "What an ugly way to greet Inoue on her first day in Seireitei as a future Shinigami."

Ulquiorra's eyes flickered to the officer that was seated just beneath him. It was clear the man was indirectly talking to him but he kept his mouth shut and averted his gaze.

"I mean, really. How tactless. He shouldn't have showed his face at all." Yumichika smiled to himself and glanced at the former Hollow. "I did try to deter him but some heathens just can't be taught."

"I..." Ulquiorra began to defend himself in frustration but he quickly snapped his mouth shut.

It was too late however. Yumichika whirled around and stared at Ulquiorra. "You were going to say?"

Ulquiorra inhaled sharply and looked to Yumichika proudly. "I outrank you. I don't have to answer to you."

"How ugly of you to pull rank. You outrank me merely because I chose to be seated fifth. There is no other reason than that." Yumichika glared at Ulquiorra and crossed his arms. "Filthy Hollow. You soil our squad with your presence like you soiled Inoue's welcome. Kira and Hinamori should have disposed of you while they had the chance."

Ulquiorra clenched his fists but restrained himself from attacking the arrogant Shinigami. He knew that Yumichika was only speaking the sentiments of the entire squad. In fact, Ulquiorra admired Yumichika's ability to be completely blunt with him regardless of how infuriating it was at times. He calmed himself with a few deep breaths and turned his gaze downward. "If I had known that woman was going to be there, I would have never accompanied the Lieutenant."

"Well I'm sure you aren't so stupid as to willingly walk into a situation like that and ruin Inoue's day but unfortunately you've still caused an uproar in Seireitei and that reflects badly on our squad." Yumichika tapped his foot impatiently. "You at least understand that, don't you?"

Ulquiorra nodded in response. "I understand."

Yumichika let out an exasperated sigh and turned away from Ulquiorra. "Well at least there's that. What a hideous predicament!"

Ikkaku watched as Yumichika walked off talking to himself before turning his gaze to Ulquiorra. "He's right, obnoxious as he was being. Everyone looks down on our division because you're in it. That's just the way it is so from now on it would probably be better for you to just stay at your post."

Ulquiorra nodded to his superior officer. "I understand that. You don't have to put it so nicely. I know what you and the rest of the squad think of me, you don't have to pretend to be kind. As obnoxious as Ayasegawa can be I at least appreciate that he is forthcoming with me. He's concerned with the appearance of his division in the eyes of the rest of the Shinigami, so much in fact that he makes it no secret how he would prefer things to be. Of everyone, I can trust him to be the most honest. Everyone else who treats me so civilly, they are being dishonest with me and with themselves."

"I will be civil to you because I respect our Captain. He sees something in you for some reason, so much so that he made you a seated officer. That is why I refuse to be as blatantly truthful as Yumichika." Ikkaku smiled to himself. "And for someone who loves beauty so much, he sure is acting horrendously ugly."

Ulquiorra fought a small smile that was tugging at his lips and nodded his head slowly. "I agree."

Ikkaku chuckled at Ulquiorra's attempt at hiding a smile. "So you _can_ feel. That's good to know." He grinned widely and nudged the former Hollow. "We have enough emotionless bastards on this squad as it is." Ulquiorra didn't seem to find this funny however so Ikkaku let out a loud groan. "Oh come on! It was funny! You need to just lighten up a bit and maybe you'd actually make a friend or two. Things aren't that bad for you so just relax. It's not like you've got the Captain riding your ass for-"

"Hey Hollow!" Kenpachi's voice bellowed as he approached his third and fourth seated officers. "I just got word that you showed up at the Shinigami Academy today and caused a stir."

Ulquiorra looked up at Kenpachi and nodded solemnly. "Yes sir."

"I also heard that Lieutenants Kira and Hinamori apprehended you and began dragging you away until that woman stopped them." Kenpachi folded his arms over his chest and stared down at his subordinate. "What were you thinking?"

"The whole incident was a mistake. I was merely accompanying Lieutenant Kusajishi to the academy at her request when I lost my footing, or rather, someone shoved me from behind. I suppose to the other Lieutenants there it appeared that I was trying to rush at the woman." Ulquiorra looked up at Kenpachi with concern. This was the one person who stood between him and imprisonment and if he lost Kenpachi's faith in him, he lost his existence. "I realize I shouldn't have left my post. I'm sorry to have angered you Captain, it will not happen again."

"You think I'm angry because of some stupid encounter with some woman from your past?" Kenpachi unfolded his arms and grabbed Ulquiorra by the collar, displaying the insignia sewn on the inside to the smaller Shinigami. "When you wear the insignia of our division, you behave like a member of our division. Kira and Hinamori had no right to detain you. I am your Captain and they can not punish you. You should have fought back."

Ikkaku cocked an eyebrow at Kenpachi curiously. Normally he wasn't one to talk back to his Captain but he couldn't really agree with the logic. "What would he have used to fight back? He's not allowed to carry his Zanpakutō and you know that in that situation, any retaliation would have been reckless. His actions reflect on you more than anybody else."

"That's exactly true which is why I'm so angry that he did nothing but run away! I expect that kind of cowardess from Yumichika, not from an ex-Espada." Kenpachi released his grip on Ulquiorra and sighed. "All that aside, I've got strict orders from Yamamoto that you are to stay away from the Shinigami Academy."

Ulquiorra nodded. "Understood. I had no intentions of going back."

"Really?" Kenpachi grinned widely and started to walk off. "That's a shame. You should have seen the look on old man Yamamoto's face when he got word that you'd already come into contact with the little princess."

Ulquiorra watched his Captain's retreating form in deep thought before letting out a sigh. He turned his gaze to Ikkaku and nodded to the man. "Thank you for what you said to the Captain. I don't understand the logic in fighting a battle I can't win."

"When you've been in this squad a little longer, you'll understand. Don't do what he said though." Ikkaku chuckled and shook his head. "Your actions reflect directly on Zaraki. If you did something to cause him the loss of his Captaincy I'd have to kill you, Hollow."

Ulquiorra nodded in response to Ikkaku though he didn't know if the man was joking or being serious. As Ikkaku started to walk away from him he decided against his better judgment to call out to the other Shinigami. "Madarame..."

Ikkaku turned and looked to Ulquiorra in questioning. "Yeah?"

"My name is Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Cifer." Ulquiorra said calmly. "Not Hollow."

"I know that!" Ikkaku replied with a halfhearted grin. "You've been with us for almost six years. You think I don't know your name by now?" He turned away from the former Hollow before stopping and turning back to look at him. "Hey, tonight we're all gonna have a couple of drinks outside Zaraki's place. You should come. It's not like you've got anything better to do."

...

"It's not like you've got anything better to do!" Rangiku said in a demanding tone. "Besides, that creepy man isn't allowed to come anywhere near you and it isn't often that we're invited to drink with the 11th division. I mean sure, the men are gross but they're fun to drink with and they have more sake than they know what to do with. Shūhei, Isane and Izuru will be there too and it'll be your last chance to party before you get accepted to the academy! Oh please, Orihime! You just have to come!"

Orihime stifled a laugh as Rangiku pouted and tugged at her. "Alright, I'll go! I don't think I'll drink any sake but I'll go. When are we leaving?"

"Right now! We're already late!" Rangiku said with a sheepish grin as she grabbed Orihime by the hand and lead her in the direction of the 11th division's barracks.

By the time they arrived, most everyone was already intoxicated beyond belief and Rangiku soon joined them in being equally as drunk. Orihime found Yumichika off by himself, seemingly collected despite that he too had been drinking, so she made her way over to him to strike up a conversation with someone who wouldn't groan about how drunk they were. "You look lonely." She said with a smile.

Yumichika turned his gaze to Orihime and forced a smile. "Loneliness is such an ugly emotion. No, I'm just waiting for Ikkaku to come back. He left a while ago and I have no idea where he went. Drunk as he was though, there's no telling where he ended up." Yumichika handed Orihime a sakazuki and poured some sake into it for her. "How about you? How are you feeling today after that horrifying event? It must have been traumatizing for you."

Orihime looked down at the saucer in her hand hesitantly before bringing the liquid to her lips. She took a mouthful and swallowed it down hard, trying her hardest not to make a face afterward. So much for not drinking, but she didn't want to be rude. "I'm fine. Really, it wasn't as big of a deal as everyone made it out to be."

"Oh, but it was." Yumichika poured more sake for Orihime and some for himself. "That's why we had Matsumoto extend the invitation to you. It's just our division's way of apologizing for that Hollow's atrocious actions. He's lucky to still be with the squad after today."

Orihime nodded quietly and continued to sip at her sake slowly. She didn't know if it was better to sip at it and suffer or to take it all down in one big gulp and risk that Yumichika might try to give her more so she continued to drink sparingly until she saw Ikkaku approaching with someone trailing behind. She used this as her cue to leave before Yumichika could pour her any more sake. "There's Madarame now so... if you'll excuse me, I have to find Rangiku."

"Hm?" Yumichika watched Orihime hurry off, dumping what was left of her sake as she went. He chuckled to himself and turned his eyes to Ikkaku but was shocked to see that his friend had brought Ulquiorra with him. He watched the two from a distance as Ikkaku poured some sake into an ochoko and handed it to the fourth seat officer. To Yumichika's dismay, Ikkaku seemed to be goading Ulquiorra in a friendly manner to drink. He had seen enough. He walked over to the two coolly and folded his arms. "There you are, Ikkaku. I was wondering where you had gone to, I didn't realize you were slumming it. You do the silliest things when you're drunk. And you left me all alone too, how rude." Yumichika feigned a pout. "Oh, but don't worry. Inoue was keeping me company while you were away."

Ulquiorra froze at the mention of Orihime's name. His eyes jumped to Yumichika and then directly to the party before him, searching the sea of faces. "She's here?"

"She is. That's not a problem, is it?" Yumichika smiled devilishly down at Ulquiorra. "Oh, that's right. You're not allowed within thirty feet of her. It looks like you'd better leave."

"Don't." Ikkaku demanded as Ulquiorra made a movement to stand.

"No, he's right." Ulquiorra sat down the cup of sake and tried to stand again. "I shouldn't be here."

"Look, it'll be fine! You just have to sit here and blend in. As long as you don't budge, nobody will even know you're here." Ikkaku picked the ochoko back up and handed it into Ulquiorra's hand. "Drink that and relax. What could possibly go wrong?"

Ulquiorra looked to Ikkaku but the man's eyes only demanded more that he stay. He quickly drank the sake that was offered to him, a substance he found offensive and unpleasant. It burned the back of his throat and it singed its way down to the pit of his empty stomach.

"Atta' boy!" Ikkaku poured Ulquiorra another cup full and stood quickly. "You stay here. I'm gonna go make sure none of the Lieutenants see you. Especially Matsumoto. Because if she sees you, being as good of friends with Inoue as she is, it's all done for all of us. You just stay put."

"Like the dog that you are." Yumichika added as he followed after Ikkaku.

(4) Ulquiorra sat staring into the cup in his hand thoughtfully, ignoring Yumichika's last comment. He was deep in thought over the occurrences that day. Despite that it was what he could consider to be disastrous, things hadn't turned out too badly. Although he knew he was far from Ikkaku's friend, the other Shinigami had at the very least invited him to join in their festivities. Then there was Kenpachi and Yachiru. Regardless that it was in their own unique ways, they both liked him for some reason. Then of course... seeing Orihime Inoue was a mixture of something wonderful and something terrible. Ulquiorra didn't know how to accept it emotion wise. He didn't know if he was relieved to see her or if he should be running in fear of what she knew about him. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when somebody took a seat beside him until they spoke.

"Ulquiorra..." Orihime smiled softly as she caught the man's attention. He seemed frightened initially so she tried to console him before he could get up and run away from her again. "It's alright. You don't have to be afraid."

At Orihime's words, something inside Ulquiorra snapped and he stared hard at her. "I'm not afraid of the likes of you, woman."

Orihime laughed and continued to smile. "That's the old Ulquiorra. But that's okay because I'm not afraid of you either, remember?" She held her hand out to him calmly but he didn't return the gesture so she sat on top of her hands instead. "You know, it's silly but I can't help but feel like this is a reverse Romeo and Juliet. Only, it's nothing like that story except in some small ways." She laughed nervously and turned her gaze toward the party. Silence passed between the two for several minutes and she let out a hefty sigh. "You're not going to talk to me, are you?"

"Do you... harbor any ill feelings toward me?" Ulquiorra asked, staring down into his sake quietly.

"Do you mean to ask if I wish things hadn't happened the way they did? Because if that's the case, of course. It was all really terrible. If you mean to ask if I'm mad at you..." Orihime returned her eyes to Ulquiorra and she smiled. "I'm not mad at you."

"Everyone here is stuck on my past and the actions I took when I served under Aizen. They seem to forget that they were once under Aizen's spell as well. And while my actions were more voluntary than theirs, I like to think the situations weren't that different. And certainly if you're not mad at me, what right do they have to be?" Ulquiorra brought the sake to his lips and drank the offending liquid down quickly.

"Blehg!" Orihime made a face as she watched Ulquiorra drink the sake. "Do you like that stuff?"

"It's wretched, actually." Ulquiorra sat the ochoko aside and mused quietly to himself. "You don't like it either?"

"No! And Ayasegawa kept pouring it for me! I ended up dumping it out as soon as I walked away from him." Orihime said with a laugh.

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed at the mention of Yumichika. The man had always been so volatile toward him and Orihime had always been so kind spirited. He couldn't imagine what the two could possibly have in common. "Is Ayasegawa your friend?"

Orihime looked to Ulquiorra in thought before nodding eagerly. "Well of course he is!"

"And you believe him to have a good heart?" Ulquiorra looked to Orihime out of the corner of his eye awaiting her response.

Orihime pondered the question briefly before nodding again. "It's true that he may have a few personality quarks but yes, I do believe he has a good heart."

"I see." Ulquiorra nodded in response to Orihime. "Then that is good enough for me." The two sat in silence then before yet another question began tugging at him. "Why did you come to talk to me? You're going to get me into trouble, woman."

"I know, that's why I said it reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. But only a little bit!" Orihime began waving her hands frantically. "Not completely like it because that would be silly!"

Ulquiorra looked to Orihime curiously. "What is Romeo and Juliet?"

Orihime breathed a sigh of relief that Ulquiorra had no idea what she was talking about. She was about to explain to him that it was a very old and very sad story when she heard Rangiku calling her name. She bolted up into a standing position before ducking behind Ulquiorra. "If she sees me with you there's no telling what she'll do to the both of us." She began tugging at Ulquiorra's shoulder in a panic. "Come on, we can't stay here! Someone is bound to see us talking together and I don't want to get you into trouble."

Ulquiorra nodded hesitantly and stood to follow Orihime. He let her lead him off away from the party.

Orihime smiled cheerfully as they gained enough distance between them and the others that they could talk without fear of being caught. She stared up at the moon in the sky and sighed. "Will you walk with me back to the academy? I should be resting but we can talk on the way."

"I'm really not allowed to go there." Ulquiorra paused in thought briefly. "Though I suppose I'm not allowed to go there because that's where you reside. Yet you're here, so I've already broken the rules." Ulquiorra sighed and started to lead Orihime in the direction of the academy. "Woman, you'll be the death of me."

Orihime smiled cutely and followed after Ulquiorra until she matched his pace and then walked beside him. "So why did you decide to become a Shinigami?"

"I don't want to talk about that." Ulquiorra quickly put an end to the discussion, seemingly to Orihime's displeasure. He really didn't want to talk about it though. It only reminded him of the questions that still plagued him. Instead he chose a different topic. "What is Romeo and Juliet?"

Orihime laughed nervously. She had only been making a gross generalization about the situation and she didn't want Ulquiorra to get the wrong idea. "It's just an old, sad story."

"About what?" Ulquiorra asked as he stopped to look at her, a little irritated at the woman's vague response. "And don't be so shallow with your answer."

"It's just a story about a boy who goes to a party at a girl's house and they fall in love but then they find out that they're supposed to be enemies but they don't care and they sneak off to see each other until she dies, but not really, and then he kills himself and then she kills herself and this all happens in Paris, I think. And there are dinosaurs and space ships maybe but that might be a different story. It just sort of reminded me that I was like Romeo going to your party and you were like Juliet and we're not supposed to talk to each other. It isn't the love thing at all! That doesn't make any sense of course!" Orihime blushed and began waving her hands around frantically again. "And certainly nobody is going to die and there are no dinosaurs!"

Ulquiorra stared at her a moment before shaking his head. "You're very strange, woman."

"You're the one who's strange." Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra with a smile. "You've known my name before you ever met me and still you get this grumpy look on your face when you talk to me and you call me woman." She mocked the scowl Ulquiorra had on his face to show him what he looked like. "You could at least try saying my name. Orihime Inoue." She made certain to take time to sound out each syllable as she maintained the scowl. "Say it! Orihime Inoue!"

Ulquiorra blinked at her quietly before opening his mouth to speak. "Orihime... Inoue." He paused in thought and then quickly turned away. "No, I like woman better. It's as informal as I can be without being rude."

Orihime let out a disappointed sigh. "But I like the way my name sounds when you speak it."

"You do?" Ulquiorra's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why is that? I wonder, shouldn't my voice be the one you fear the most?"

"I already told you, I don't fear you. I didn't the first time you asked me that and I still don't." Orihime smiled sadly. "When you're ready to reach out to me again I'll still be there and this time I'll be able to grab your hand. And Ulquiorra, I promise you I won't ever let go. That's what friends are for."

"Friends?" Ulquiorra stared down at his hand thoughtfully. "But after everything I-"

"Nope! You're not allowed to talk about the past!" Orihime placed her hands over her ears quickly. "This is a new start. You aren't a Hollow anymore so you can't talk about the things you did when you were one. Promise?"

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime quietly before turning away from her and continuing on toward the academy. "Take your hands off your ears, woman. You look ridiculous."

Orihime giggled to herself and followed after the Shinigami. "What was that? I can't hear you!"

"Yes you can." Ulquiorra said in irritation.

Orihime smiled and shook her head. "No I can't."

"Yes you can." Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks and turned to face Orihime. He reached up and pulled her hands from her ears. "If you couldn't hear me you wouldn't be answering me."

Orihime looked at her wrists clasped in Ulquiorra's hands. A whole wave of different emotions began to flood her, especially ones from the time Ulquiorra was supposed to have died. Sadness and a bit of joy mixed with something else. She looked up at him shyly, her face flushed. "Ulquiorra, I-"

"Are you feeling faint?" Ulquiorra reached up one hand to place against Orihime's forehead. "Your face is very red. Do you need medical care? I can escort you to the infirmary."

"N-no." Orihime shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine. I must have drank too much of that awful sake. That's all." She looked down at her left wrist still enclosed in Ulquiorra's right hand. The feel of him touching her made her heart race in excitement and his eyes were so intently fixed on her face that she was afraid to look up at him. "Please let go of me Ulquiorra... otherwise I-"

"Am I hurting you, woman?" Ulquiorra asked curiously but before he could release his hold on Orihime he felt a Zanpakutō pressed against his throat. He dared a glance to his left to see Shūhei Hisagi glaring at him.

"You heard her." Shūhei said through bared teeth. "Release her now and step away."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He dropped Orihime's arm and raised his hands, taking a few steps backward. "I haven't done anything to harm her."

"I'm placing you under arrest regardless." Shūhei lowered his weapon but did not sheath it. "I'll call someone to escort you to the academy, Inoue."

"That's not necessary, Hisagi." Orihime stepped between the two men worriedly. "This is all just one big misunderst-"

"I will escort her the rest of the way to the academy as I was doing prior to your interruption." Ulquiorra said, narrowing a dangerous gaze at Shūhei. "You have no right to arrest me and I have done nothing wrong. I am not your subordinate and as a seated officer of the eleventh division I will not be treated as a second class citizen. Now, if you'll excuse us..." Ulquiorra turned away from the two and started toward the academy once more. "Come, woman."

Shūhei rushed at the former Hollow and swung his Zanpakutō, gracing the top of Ulquiorra's hand as he did so. "That was a warning. The next one will hit its intended target."

Ulquiorra turned to face Shūhei and stared at him coldly. "I don't wish to fight you but if you leave me no other choice, I will." He raised his hand toward Shūhei and prepared to fire a Kidō attack.

Shūhei suppressed a chuckle. "You're going to try and fight a Lieutenant? With Kidō, no less? Why not just turn yourself in?"

Ulquiorra stared ahead at Shūhei unmoved. "While I don't fully understand your animosity toward me, I know why you feel you must dispose of me. I was a Hollow, and I happened to be aligned with your traitor Captain, Kaname Tōsen. However-"

"Don't you dare speak his name!" Shūhei raised his Zanpakutō once again and swung it down with all his might. He heard Orihime cry out behind him and he glanced back at her but it was too late to slow the swing. The blow was stopped however when his sword collided with Kenpachi Zaraki's. He stared up at the massive Captain in shock and lowered his weapon. "Captain Zaraki!"

"Trying to discipline one of my officers, Hisagi?" Kenpachi made a tsk sound and stepped toward the Lieutenant. "That's not your place. You're not even a Captain, which reminds me... if I wanted to I could discipline you for breaking the rules. You have no Captain to tell me otherwise."

"I haven't broken the rules! Maybe you didn't hear but Yamamoto gave special permission to the Captains and Lieutenants to arrest or discipline the Hollow should he be caught doing something questionable!" Shūhei stared up at Kenpachi, still uneased. The man was unpredictable and his power was massive. He knew he couldn't easily win a fight against him. "He is not allowed to be near Inoue. He kidnapped her once while she was in our custody, who's to say he won't do it again?"

Kenpachi chuckled to himself. "The old man's precautions aren't needed. The Hollow has no interest in this woman. She was the one begging him to leave the party. My guess is that they were probably just talking in private about trivial things until you came along. It's a good thing I followed them. I'd hate to have to explain to Yamamoto why one of the Lieutenants is dead at the hands of one of my officers."

Shūhei stared at Kenpachi unmoved before sheathing his Zanpakutō. "You had better deal with him accordingly. If these incidents keep occurring, you'll find yourself less one officer." Without another word he turned around and walked away from the three, Kenpachi's earlier words about not having a Captain stinging more than they should.

Ulquiorra watched Shūhei disappear into the distance before looking up at Kenpachi. "Thank you, Captain. If you hadn't interv-"

Kenpachi reached out and smacked Ulquiorra on the back of the head. "What were you thinking?"

Ulquiorra blinked up at his Captain in confusion. "I was just defending myself like you said I should."

"You were about to use Kidō. Are you really that weak? You're lucky I jumped in when I did. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have had a squad return to. I don't allow that in my division. Keep that in mind." Kenpachi turned away from Ulquiorra and began to walk away. "Carry on with whatever it was you two were doing."

Orihime rushed over to Ulquiorra quickly and reached out to grab the hand Shūhei had cut. She watched sadly as he winced in pain. "You got injured because of me."

"It's not a problem. I've received worse." Ulquiorra pulled his hand from Orihime's grasp and started walking again. "Come, we're not far from the academy."

Orihime nodded slowly and followed after him. "When we get there, I'll bandage your wound for you."

"That won't be necessary." Ulquiorra said plainly. He continued on toward the academy noticing that Orihime was dragging behind. Her once upbeat attitude had changed very quickly to a saddened one and it dawned upon him that the change had occurred as soon as she had witnessed him get hurt. "You really hate to see anyone injured, don't you? Even though my cut is minor and I sustained it because of my own stubbornness, it saddens you. You're so very strange." He let out a small sigh. "Very well, if it will make you happy I'll let you bandage my wound."

Orihime smiled softly. "You will?"

"I said I would." Ulquiorra continued on with Orihime trailing behind but she seemed more chipper already. Soon they reached the dormitory where she had been granted permission to stay despite not officially being a student of the academy. He followed her into the quaint sized room and stood waiting for her to find a first aid kit. "This place is small. Smaller than your room in Las Noches. Are you truly comfortable here?"

"They were kind enough to let me stay. I can't be too particular about size. Besides, it's just me. I don't need much." Orihime smiled with satisfaction as she pulled out a small box tucked away in a cabinet. She opened it and pulled out a bandage. "May I see your hand?"

Ulquiorra raised his hand to Orihime and stood watching her with interest as she bandaged it. She seemed so content as she performed the action. "You'll be well suited to join the fourth division when you graduate."

"Everybody says that." Orihime laughed softly. "But I think I want to apply to the eleventh division."

"Wh-what for?" Ulquiorra asked almost shocked. "You must be joking."

"Why not?" Orihime said with wide grin. "You think I'm not cut out for it? I'm sure Yachiru could convince Zaraki!"

"You should stick to what you're good at. Fighting has never been your strong suit. You are a healer by nature." Ulquiorra held up his bandaged hand to her eye level. "This is your talent. It is admirable."

Orihime felt a blush making its way to her cheeks so she quickly turned away from Ulquiorra. "I... I was just kidding of course! That's silly! M-me, in the same squad with you? Even if I was good at fighting they would never allow it. Besides, I like healing people."

Ulquiorra stared at the back of Orihime's head. He could see the slightest tremble in her form and even her voice was an octave higher. He stepped toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder to spin her around. He noted quickly that her face was even redder than it had been previously. "Are you sure you don't need medical attention? You look ill, woman." He placed his uninjured hand against her forehead and stared down at her. Her trembling seemed to increase as soon as his hand made contact with her head. "You're quivering. Are you afraid?"

"I told you I'm not afraid." Orihime spoke though it was scarcely a whisper. She cleared her throat and took a step back from Ulquiorra. "Just tired, that's all. And that sake really didn't sit well with me but I'm fine. Don't worry about me!"

"I have to. If something bad were to happen to you I..." Ulquiorra let his hand slide from her forehead down her face and to his side. "I would be the first person they'd suspect of foul play. There's no way I'm getting imprisoned for your sake, woman. Do us both a favor and keep yourself in good health." Ulquiorra turned away from Orihime and stepped toward the door. "I should leave. Thank you for the bandage."

"Please be safe on your way back." Orihime said sadly as she watched Ulquiorra exit her room. She let out a heavy sigh and closed the door behind him, sinking to the ground as she did so. "What is wrong with me?"


	3. Heart Starts Beating

And here we are at chapter three already! Oh my!

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to update yesterday but I did warn you ahead of time that I was going to be very busy.

Things start to get interesting in this chapter. Some things are said that need to be said and some things are said that should not be spoken.

It seems like almost everyone in this chapter has sex on the brain, with the exception of our two main characters of course. Rangiku and Ikkaku especially have a lot of misconceptions about the type of relationship Orihime and Ulquiorra have. Ah, if only they were right.

There will be more questions than answers at the end of this chapter, especially about Yumichika. Just what is he up to? And who is he talking to at the very end there?

Please enjoy this chapter! :)

* * *

><p>"What were you thinking?" Rangiku cried out. "No, that's just it. You weren't thinking! Why did you leave the party with <em>him<em>? What would you have done if something bad had happened? You're lucky Shūhei came to rescue you when he did."

"Hisagi misunderstood the situation. I wasn't in any danger at all!" Orihime looked away from Rangiku, desperate to avoid the other woman's gaze.

"Shūhei said you seemed distressed and that the Hollow had his hands on you." Rangiku put her hands on her hips and stared down at Orihime. "Are you telling me he's seeing things?"

"No. He saw correctly. Ulquiorra was holding onto me and I was distressed but... well, it's not like that. We were just talking. I was acting childish and I annoyed him. A-and he's not a Hollow. Not anymore." Orihime dared a glance up at Rangiku. "You have to understand, he wasn't going to hurt me. He wouldn't do that."

Rangiku stared down at Orihime quietly before nodding knowingly. "Oh, I understand fully well. You're in love with him."

"I'm what!" Orihime shrieked.

Rangiku nodded. "It's perfectly natural. It's the sort of thing that sometimes happens between the captor and the captive, though I've never heard of it lasting so long. But I guess when you love someone... it never truly goes away."

"Th-that's not the case, Rangiku!" Orihime blushed brightly and waved her hands wildly to force away the idea. "We're just friends! That's all! He doesn't feel that away about me and I don't feel that way about him!" She laughed nervously but it was clear that Rangiku's thoughts were elsewhere now. She had a sad look on her face and Orihime then realized, Rangiku was thinking of Gin Ichimaru.

"Listen, Orihime. I can't really blame you for feeling the way you do. Just be careful who you give your heart to." Rangiku forced a smile at the younger woman to stop herself from becoming too depressed. "You really can't trust anyone to care for your heart the way you do."

"But I told you, it isn't like that. Ulquiorra and I... th-things are complicated. For a long time he would berate me for my human emotions. He didn't understand them because he didn't feel them. But toward the end he... well, I think he started to understand. He started to feel. He reached out to me in the final moments of his life and he wanted to know if I was afraid of him." Orihime laughed sadly and shook her head. "But how could I be? Despite his appearance, in that moment he was the most human I had ever seen him. I knew then that he suddenly understood everything he had berated me for. He had a heart after all. And watching him disappear that day truly made me feel as though I was losing a friend."

"He's still a danger." Rangiku stared down at Orihime calmly. "I hope you understand that. We truly don't know what his intentions are or where his loyalties lie. For all we know, he could be on the same path that Aizen was. We have to take every precaution to make sure an incident like that doesn't happen again. You being near him is dangerous as well. Being near you might trigger something for him and cause him to do something drastic. Right now the possibilities are endless and we just can't allow anything bad to happen. We can't be sure about him, and we may not ever be able to be sure."

"But _I'm_ sure about him." Orihime said softly, more to herself than to Rangiku.

"Are you? Really? I was so sure about Gin, Orihime." Rangiku sighed. "I'm not saying that you should give up on that feeling, but just don't give one hundred percent of yourself over to that feeling."

"I understand." Orihime nodded sadly. "S-so, is that the only thing you came to talk to me about?"

"Of course not! I came to congratulate you on a job well done! You passed the entrance exam! You're officially a student at the academy now!" Rangiku smiled and patted Orihime's head. "We have to celebrate! With sake!"

"Oh please, no more sake!" Orihime covered her mouth, gagging at the thought of wretched drink. "We should celebrate by cooking a meal instead! Oh, but I don't have a kitchen here."

Rangiku looked around for the first time since she had stepped into Orihime's dorm room and made a face. "You don't have much of anything here! This is a really small place Orihime. Well, that settles it then!"

"That settles what, exactly?" Orihime asked a bit concerned.

"You'll have to come live with me! I insist!" Rangiku smiled and nodded. "No arguments about it! This place is simply too small for a big breasted woman! Besides, if you live with me I can keep a closer eye on you and keep you protected. And you can cook all of our meals since you're such a good cook! It'll be just like the time I stayed at your place in the human world!"

Orihime laughed softly. "I couldn't. I don't want to impose on you."

"Oh, you wouldn't be! Truthfully, I get lonely at times. Having you around will be fun! Please Orihime! Come live with me!" Rangiku pouted and stared at Orihime with big sad eyes until the other woman nodded in agreement. "Perfect! It'll be so much fun! Just pack your things!" Rangiku paused to look around again. "Er, well I suppose you don't have many things to pack. Just grab your academy uniform and we'll go."

"Alright." Orihime scooped up her uniform in her arms and glanced back at the room. She saw that the first aid kit she had used to bandage Ulquiorra's wound was out on the table from the previous night. It made her wonder if he had made it back to the barracks safely and what he was doing now.

...

"Are you listening to me?" Ikkaku asked angrily as he followed after Ulquiorra. "I'm trying to talk to you!"

"I can hear you just fine. Speak." Ulquiorra said as he continued to walk toward his destination, the library. "I can't promise I'll answer you but I can hear you at the very least."

"Why did you leave the party last night? Do you know the panic you put everyone in when they realized Inoue was gone and you were nowhere to be found?" Ikkaku said as he finally caught up with Ulquiorra's swift pace. "Everyone thought you were with her."

"I _was_ with her." Ulquiorra said matter-of-factly.

"What? Why?" Ikkaku looked at the other man but he received no response. "Do you have a death wish? Is that why your hand is bandaged? And where are we going anyway?"

"To the library. There's a book I want to read. It's a book from the human world but we have a vast collection of data so there's a chance it may be there." Ulquiorra stated to Ikkaku. "Maybe you can help me find it."

"I don't know anything about books. Yumichika might be able to help you, but... hey! You changed the subject!" Ikkaku growled and stared hard at Ulquiorra. "What were you doing with Inoue?"

"We were talking briefly. She asked me to escort her back to the academy. I accepted her request." Ulquiorra shrugged. "I don't see the issue."

Ikkaku blinked at Ulquiorra's nonchalant attitude about the situation. "So did you get to see the inside of her dorm room, if you know what I mean?"

"I did. It's small but it serves its purpose just fine." Ulquiorra glanced at Ikkaku. "I don't see why that matters."

"You lucky dog!" Ikkaku laughed and nudged Ulquiorra playfully. "Inoue is so beautiful, you lucky bastard!"

Ulquiorra looked to Ikkaku in confusion. "She is pleasant to look at. I don't know what that has to do with me being lucky. She's the same as any other woman."

Ikkaku stared at Ulquiorra in disbelief. _"He's so cold! But maybe that's his appeal."_ The third seat officer cleared his throat and shook his head. "If you say so. Still, I wouldn't be letting a woman like Inoue too far from me if I were you. You don't want to lose what you've got, especially if you decided you want more from her than just, you know."

"What more could I possibly desire from her?" Ulquiorra glanced at Ikkaku again growing even more confused. "You aren't making any sense."

_"Whoa! He's super cold!"_ Ikkaku forced a chuckle and shrugged. "Whatever. I'm not gonna tell you how to keep your relationships. Obviously whatever you're doing is working for you." He continued to follow the fourth seat officer as they entered the library. He'd personally only been there a handful of times to tug Yumichika away from organizing the books but currently it was devoid of any faces he knew.

Ulquiorra walked over to the librarian who glanced at him and then quickly averted her gaze. It seemed even she had heard of the "infamous Hollow Man." He looked around the library quickly before deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to find the book on his own. "I'm looking for a book from the human world. Romeo and Juliet."

Ikkaku watched Ulquiorra in bewilderment. He thought he'd heard the man ask for Romeo and Juliet and if his memory served him correctly from the small amount of time he had spent in the human world, the story was about a tragic romance. _"This guy doesn't make any sense! He's so cold that he'll use Inoue for sex, yet he wants to read a book about romance? I think he's got things backwards."  
><em>  
>"The book is in the Human World Literature section under the romance subdivision." Ulquiorra said as he returned from the librarian's desk.<p>

Ikkaku snapped to attention from his thoughts and forced a smile. "Well then, that's my cue to leave. Books aren't my style, especially romance books. Hope you find what you're looking for. Oh and if you see Yumichika in here organizing books tell him I'm looking for him, will ya?"

Ulquiorra nodded and watched as Ikkaku quickly retreated from the library. He started in the direction of Human World Literature noting that he was gaining a few strange looks from the patrons of the library as he passed them. He rounded a corner into the section he was looking for and began searching for the romance subdivision when he stumbled upon Yumichika sitting on the floor with a pile of books around him, seemingly enthralled in whatever he was reading. "Ayasegawa, Madarame is looking for you."

"Wh-what are you doing here!" Yumichika shrieked. He slammed the book he was reading shut and jumped to his feet. "Are you spying on me?"

"I'm looking for a book in the romance subdivision." Ulquiorra replied.

"Well you're in that subdivision!" Yumichika said nervously. He stared at the former Hollow and tried to hide the books he had been reading behind him. "Get your book and get out."

"I have to look for it first." Ulquiorra turned his attention to the rows upon rows of books and began scanning over the titles. "Madarame is looking for you."

"Is he here in the library? He can't find me in this section!" Yumichika said in a panic. "I'll never hear the end of it."

Ulquiorra glanced at Yumichika. This was the first time he had seen the other man so disturbed. "What's wrong with this section?"

"It's romance! And human romance at that!" Yumichika sighed and knelt down to pick up the books he had been planning on reading. "Looks like I'll have to finish these another day."

"Why don't you just take them back home with you and read them there?" Ulquiorra asked as he continued to scan the books for his desired story.

"I can't be caught reading these! The endless torment I'll receive from Ikkaku and the Captain and Lieutenant, I can't bear it." Yumichika's gaze flew to Ulquiorra. "You _can't_ tell them you found me here!"

"If you think that reading those books is bad, why do you keep doing it?" Ulquiorra paused in his searching to turn his full attention to the always candid Shinigami. "Why not stop?"

"Because there is so much beauty on these pages. I can't explain how it makes me feel when I read them. Love is a beautiful thing, and it's something I've never experienced. But I can live it through these books. Unfortunately, I've finished all the romance stories in the other sections. That leaves me with the human romance books. They're a bit boring at times, but some are enthralling. Some even get a bit steamy at times and..." Yumichika scoffed and turned away from Ulquiorra. "Uhg, I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. You wouldn't understand, you don't have a heart."

Ulquiorra blinked at the back of Yumichika's head. He decided against correcting the man in telling him that he did in fact have a heart. Having a heart was what separated the Shinigami from the Arrancar and he was now a Shinigami. Instead he turned his attention back to the rows of books. "You've read a lot of these? Do you know where I can find Romeo and Juliet?"

"Romeo and Juliet? What do you want with that book?" Yumichika whirled back around and snatched it off the shelf where he had replaced it earlier that morning. "This is a beautiful story. The ending however... it's so beautiful it's almost ugly. Why does someone like you want it?"

"I have an interest in the story." Ulquiorra held a hand out to Yumichika. "May I have it?"

"I'll hand it to you on one condition!" Yumichika clutched the book against his chest and eyed Ulquiorra warily. "You don't tell anybody that you saw me here."

"It's no business of mine what you do in your free time. It isn't anybody else's either." Ulquiorra stared at Yumichika, the other man staring back at him. After a long quiet moment the other Shinigami deposited the book in his hand. "Thank you." He nodded his head to the fifth seat officer and turned away. "Ayasegawa, don't forget that Madarame is looking for you."

...

"Dinner was delicious Orihime! Thanks!" Rangiku said as she patted her full stomach. "So, are you excited about starting the academy tomorrow?"

"Mmm hmm!" Orihime nodded happily. "I'm a bit nervous, but it shouldn't be too bad. Everybody at the academy seemed really nice."

"Of course! You're a celebrity! Everyone in Soul Society knows what you and your friends did. You're a hero!" Rangiku smirked and winked suggestively at Orihime. "I'm sure you'll be popular with all the men. Maybe you could find yourself a good boyfriend or two!"

Orihime laughed nervously and shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not quite ready for that."

Rangiku smiled at Orihime sadly. "You still love him, don't you? Ichigo Kurosaki... did you ever finally tell him?"

"No." Orihime placed her hands in her lap and stared down at them. "The time just never presented itself. He was always busy, splitting his time between being a Shinigami and trying to live a normal life. I couldn't complicate things for him with my own selfish needs. He needs his own space, he's a Shinigami _and_ a human."

"An idiot, that's what he is." Rangiku poured herself some sake and drank it down. "He'll never live a normal life, he's foolish to try. One day he will die and he'll come here to be a Shinigami. But by then you'll have moved on and then he'll realize too late just how wonderful his life could have been if you had been in it. Don't you dare wait for him Orihime. That only leads to heartache, trust me."

Orihime nodded slowly. "I know."

"Besides, you think you're not ready to move on yet but as soon as you get in your class and all the cute guys start fawning all over you, you'll forget all about Ichigo and that Hollow." Rangiku smiled widely. "I promise."

"I don't have feelings for Ulquiorra!" Orihime said with a small whine in her voice. "I wish you'd quit saying that."

"You call him by his first name." Rangiku said with a raised eyebrow. "That sounds like you're pretty familiar with him to me."

"That's because I didn't know much about him for a long time. Ulquiorra was the only name I knew him by and it was the name he demanded that I call him. I guess it just became a habit." Orihime shrugged and smiled. "Old habits are hard to break."

"Tell me about it. It's as plain as the nose on your face." Rangiku leaned forward on the table in front of her and grinned. "So tell me, what _other_ little habits did you pick up while you were in his custody? Anything steamy?"

"R-rangiku!" Orihime blushed brightly and covered her face. "Don't say things like that!"

"Why not? It's not a big deal unless it happened!" Rangiku reached out and tugged at Orihime's hands. "Did it happen?"

"O-of course not!" Orihime pulled away from Rangiku in embarrassment. "I've never done that before!"

"Never? Not with anyone?" Rangiku looked at Orihime surprised. "I would have assumed at the very least, you and Ichigo. Well no wonder you're so shy! We'll have to change that!" Rangiku laughed excitedly. "I have a new goal!"

"Please, Rangiku! No!" Orihime covered her face with her hands once more. "I don't want your help with that!"

Rangiku reached across the table again and began tugging at Orihime. "You know, Byakuya Kuchiki has been single for quite a long time! You could always marry him! Then you and Rukia would be like sisters! You'd like that, wouldn't you? And Ichigo would be so jealous! That Hollow too for that matter!"

"Rangiku... please!"

...

"You know, you've got a lot of courage reading that out here." Yumichika said as he approached Ulquiorra. "It's bad enough if the Captain saw you, but if anybody else saw you they'd try to give you some physical punishment."

Ulquiorra didn't bother to look up from his book as Yumichika approached. "As Madarame would say it, I have nothing better to do. I can stand guard all night but nothing exciting will happen. I might as well read while I have the time."

"How can you see in this light?" Yumichika stepped closer to Ulquiorra and peered at the pages. "It's bad for you to read in low light. It causes your eyes to strain."

Ulquiorra turned a page, still intent in his book. "I'm used to reading in scarce light."

Yumichika chuckled and leaned against the wall where Ulquiorra had propped himself up. "I envy you."

It was at these words that Ulquiorra paused and looked up from his book to glance at Yumichika but the other man was just standing with his eyes closed. "Why?"

"You're able to read a book like that without a care of who sees you." Yumichika sighed and looked to Ulquiorra. "I wish I could be so free."

"You could be if you chose to do so." Ulquiorra looked back to his book in thought. "Your concern with appearances confuses me. You have two conflicting sides. You like things that you perceive to be beautiful and you strive to achieve that beauty, yet you shroud that all in a different demeanor because it goes against what the division likes and you don't want to be outcast from them. On my first day within this division you told me that dishonesty was ugly, therefore you would be completely honest with how you felt about me. Yet you're being dishonest to yourself and your squad by hiding the things you love from them."

Yumichika laughed and leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes once more. "I can't believe you remember me saying that to you. And so you know, I hate that you're right. I can't justify my reasons, I can only explain them. Simply, I want everyone to like me. The Captain and Ikkaku are the two most important people to me. If they didn't like me, I'd have nothing. That's also why I envy you. The Captain likes you and Ikkaku is starting to like you too, yet you do nothing to make them like you. I try so hard to fit in with them despite my obvious differing interests and there you are, not trying at all and they like you just as much."

Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika, finally closing his book. "Their approval matters to you?"

"More than anything." Yumicika sighed and shook his head. "I know you wouldn't understand. You obviously don't need approval from anyone."

"That's not true." Ulquiorra looked down at his bandaged hand. "Yesterday morning, when she told me the Shihakushō looked good on me I felt... happy."

Yumichika looked to Ulquiorra out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, so you seek Inoue's approval. I wonder why that is."

"The things she went through at my hands, the fear of losing her friends and her own life. I would taunt her with the idea that her friends had come to save her and then crush her hope by telling her they stood no chance. I tried to make her see that there is no point in life or in having hope. The psychological damage I caused is irreversable and in the end, I was the one proved wrong." Ulquiorra turned his gaze from his hand to Yumichika and back again. "But if she can forgive me, if she can become the satisfaction of my sins... nothing else matters."

"So it's sublimation that you seek and you feel you can obtain that through Inoue." Yumichika smiled. "How do you plan on achieving that? You're not allowed to be around her, but you're not exactly letting that stop you, are you?"

Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika. "The Captain told me to act like a member of this squad. You all do whatever you want without fear of the consequences. I'll start doing the same until I've gained that woman's forgiveness."

Yumichika let himself slide down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. "How do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know." Ulquiorra sat hesitantly beside Yumichika and stared down at the book in his uninjured hand. "I've been reading this book for ideas. She compared our situation to it, I figure it's a good place to start."

"She... oh my." Yumichika's smile turned into a wide, knowing grin. "I don't think your problem lies in gaining her forgiveness. She's far past the point of forgiving you. She's in love with you."

Ulquiorra's eyes flew to Yumichika in shock. "She what?"

"Isn't it obvious? She protected you yesterday morning. She could have let you be arrested but she wanted to talk to you and see you. I'm also assuming that you were in fact with her last night when you both disappeared from the party and that must be when she told you that your situation is like that of Romeo and Juliet." Yumichika let out a dramatic sigh. "How romantic, now I envy you even more."

Ulquiorra swallowed hard and stared down at the book in his hands. He didn't know how to handle this information. He knew very little about love but according to what he had read so far, it was a silly and whimsical notion that caused people to go against their better judgement and act irrationally. "You're sure that's how she feels about me?"

"I've read a lot of books on love. She may not realize how she feels yet, but in time she will. Her actions speak louder than her words and even her words are saying that she loves you." Yumichika sighed again and looked up at the sky. "It's all very romantic. One day you'll marry, maybe even have children."

Ulquiorra felt knots growing in his stomach. He felt petrified. "I don't think I can do that."

Yumichika looked to Ulquiorra a bit disappointed. "Why not? You love her too, don't you? And she's very beautiful."

"She..." Ulquiorra paused as he thought about Orihime; her hair, her smile, her exceptional physique. They were all things he'd noticed before but he'd placed them at the back of his mind so that he could accomplish other tasks. He had forced himself to see her as just another woman but now with Yumichika's prodding questions he was having a hard time doing that. "Sh-she is very beautiful, but... all I could want from her, all I could ever ask from her is forgiveness. Nothing more. In her forgiveness I can find justification for my existence."

"You're very depressing, you know that?" Yumichika yawned and stood up to stretch. "It seems you still have some things to learn about what having a heart actually entails. Oh well, it's not my job to teach you. See you around."

Ulquiorra blinked at Yumichika in irritation. "You're going to tell me all these things and then leave me alone to think on them?"

"A man is best left to the solitude of his own thoughts." Yumichika glanced back at Ulquiorra and smiled. "I'm tired, I need my sleep. And besides, I can't let anyone see me talking to you. I have appearances to upkeep you know. I can't let anybody see that I'm starting to like you as well. Good night, Hollow!"

Ulquiorra returned his gaze to the book he clutched tightly. _"Orihime... loves me? Why? After everything I've done to her, she should hate me. Everyone else does. I... I just have to avoid her. If I do that then her feelings will go away. It's the best option. I can't allow this to happen to her."_

...

"So, did you speak to him?"

Yumichika smiled deviously and nodded. "I did, and I think your plan is going to work perfectly. At the very least he feels beholden to Inoue. At the most... well, let's just say this could turn out to be a very interesting situation."

"Perfect..."


	4. Breathe in So Deep

Chapter four is here everyone!

We're moving along quite smoothly. TOO smoothly if you ask me. Let's see... what can I do to change that? Oh, I know! I'll insert an original character! *gasp*

Now, I know what you're thinking. "An OC? OH NO!" And yeah, I'm right there alongside you in that. I have OCs for lots of things but I tend to have the belief that FF(.)net is not the place for them. However I REALLY needed somebody for Orihime to talk to at the academy and I promise, he will play a very minor role. But for all intents and purposes, before he died he lived in Osaka, thus the Kansai dialect (which is in English here so... yeah. He just sounds a lot more like a good ol' boy from the South.) I hope you all don't mind him too much.

As for everybody else, I promise STUFF WILL HAPPEN... eventually. For now I hope you can be content with some minor drama and a little bit of a fan service. More will happen next chapter, I promise. :)

Anybody think they know what Yumichika is up to yet? I BET EVERYBODY IS WRONG! Bwa ha ha ha ha! *ehem*

Please enjoy.

4 Fall For You - Secondhand Serenade

* * *

><p>Orihime let out a long, heavy sigh. Her first day at the academy had been long and tedious. While everyone else in her class worked at their current levels, she had to be caught up by her classmate, Tetsuya Minahara. The boy was smart and kind but he was an undeniable flirt and it made it hard for her to concentrate. She knew she had a few more days before she would be up to the level that her class was at and then she could relax more.<p>

Rangiku had unfortunately been right about attracting the attention of all the boys in her class. In addition to Tetsuya's incessant flirting she also received bashful gazes from some boys and even a few cat calls from the more uncouth crowd.

Now as she made her way back to Rangiku's home she couldn't help but think about how Rangiku had said that the other boy's attention would help keep her mind off of Ichigo and Ulquiorra. It seemed the opposite was true. Seeing how the boys in her class treated her simply reminded her that neither Ichigo nor Ulquiorra reacted to her physical appearance in any way at all. Rather, it didn't seem to be a factor for either one of them as to how they viewed her, even if they did acknowledge her less than modest physique.

At the thought of Ulquiorra, Orihime began to wonder about his hand. She didn't have the opportunity to redress the wound and she knew that he stubbornly wouldn't receive aid from anyone or even tend to it himself. She turned her direction toward the eleventh division barracks despite knowing that she'd probably only anger Ulquiorra by appearing unannounced.

As she entered the division's territory she spotted Ulquiorra almost immediately. He appeared to be on guard duty, however he was sitting against the wall with his eyes glued to a book. He was so absorbed in the book that he didn't seem to sense her presence so she watched him quietly for a moment. Though his face remained as solemn as ever, his eyes were overflowing with emotion as they scanned the pages before him slowly. She decided to clear her throat and step out from around the corner where she had been watching. "What's that you're reading?"

Ulquiorra fumbled with the book in his hand as soon as he heard Orihime's voice. He tucked it quickly away in the breast of his uniform and stood. "What are you doing here? You're not allowed."

Orihime smiled sweetly and shrugged. "Nobody has to know I was here. I just came to check on your wound."

"It's fine." Ulquiorra shoved his hand behind his back and took a step away from Orihime. "You should leave."

"I learned a Kidō spell for healing today, I thought I'd try it out and I know you're too stubborn to do anything about the wound yourself." Orihime stepped closer to Ulquiorra who was completely up against the wall now. "Let me see it. I'm not leaving until you do."

Ulquiorra let out a slow grumble and presented his hand to the woman before him. He watched her take it delicately in her own, Yumichika's words all the while screaming at him in his head. "Y-you don't have to touch it to heal it, woman!"

Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra curiously, his voice uncharacteristically shaky and even loud. "I have to touch it to take off the bandage, silly. Hold still, it'll only take a second." She began peeling off the wrapping slowly. She glanced up at Ulquiorra, only for his intense eyes to dart away quickly. He was tense and impatient and Orihime couldn't place what had changed in the forty three hours since she had last seen him. She pulled the bandage completely away and examined the broken skin beneath. "It isn't as bad as I originally thought."

"Then kindly heal it and be on your way." Ulquiorra said as he kept his eyes away from Orihime. He felt her Reiatsu engulfing his hand. Then as quickly as it had come, it vanished. He kept his gaze focused elsewhere until he felt her eyes burrowing into him at which point he snapped his attention back to her. "What?"

"Are you feeling alright, Ulquiorra?" Orihime looked up at him worriedly. He was acting more irritable and frustrated than what she considered normal for him. "Did you get in trouble for seeing me the other night?"

"Why do you care, woman!" Ulquiorra bellowed. He froze as soon as the words came roaring out of his mouth, his eyes as wide as Orihime's. He watched her take a few steps backward before dashing completely away. He started to follow her but stopped as he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He whirled around to see Yachiru blinking up at him curiously. "Lieutenant-"

"Why are you yelling at Jiggles, Hollow Man?" Yachiru asked as she climbed her way to his shoulders. "You probably made her cry, and she's one of the only people who likes you! You shouldn't be such a meany."

"I... made her cry?" Ulquiorra looked sadly in the direction that Orihime had ran off to but he quickly shook his thoughts. "No. It's better this way."

"Better for who? For you or for Jiggles?" Yachiru jumped down and smiled up at Ulquiorra. "You don't have many friends, Hollow Man. Are you really going to treat your oldest friend like a piece of trash?"

"Trash?" Ulquiorra clenched his fists and stared straight ahead. _"If she doesn't love me, that's the best thing for her. But if she hates me... if I never earn her forgiveness..."_ He grit his teeth and began running after Orihime as quickly as he could. His mind was going back and forth on whether or not following her was the right thing to do but by the time he got to the academy he decided that it didn't really matter. He bolted to her dorm room but found that the door was already opened. He stepped inside but was shocked to see a male student standing in the middle of the room. "I-is Inoue here?"

Tetsuya looked to the Shinigami standing in the door way. "No, she's not. She... hey! Aren't ya the guy that nearly got arrested the other day for attackin' her?"

"It was a misunderstanding." Ulquiorra said, his eyes narrowing on the unfamiliar face. "I know this is her room. Where is she?"

"She moved out yesterday. I saw her leavin' with another really pretty lady." Tetsuya rubbed the back of his neck briskly. "Hey, ya don't think Inoue is _with _that other lady, do ya? I mean, that'd be a real waste. A cutie like her... I'd hate to think I wasted my manly charm tryin' to woo her today only for-"

"Do you know where I can find her?" Ulquiorra asked, growing impatient.

"Heck if I know. I'm just in charge of cleanin' out the room. I volunteered cause I was hopin' to find somethin' of Inoue's. Then when I returned it to her she'd hug me against her bosom and say _"Oh Minahara! Thank you so much! My hero!"_ and give me a steamy thank ya kiss." Tetsuya grinned widely as he imagined it. "Only thing I found though was the first aid kit left out on the table and those come standard with each room. I haven't given up hope though!"

Ulquiorra looked down at his hand at the mention of the first aid kit. It still tingled where Orihime had used her Reiatsu to heal his wound. He turned on heel and exited the dorm room in silence.

"Hey, ya want I should tell Inoue you're lookin' for her?" Tetsuya asked as he poked his head out of the door but the Shinigami was nowhere in sight. "Huh... weird guy."

...

Orihime sat in the dark clutching her pillow to her chest. She couldn't fight the tears that were streaming down her cheeks but she also didn't know why she was crying. It wasn't as though Ulquiorra had been excessively kind to her in the past. In fact he had always been a stern, no nonsense kind of man. Even so, he had never raised his voice to her and she had never heard him sound so genuinely angry. He had always been calm and collected no matter what, even when she knew he was furious.

She heard Rangiku enter the home and call out to her but she was too upset to answer. She hoped the other woman assumed she had gone to bed early and just went about her business as usual but she soon saw Rangiku's face peering into the darkness of the bedroom.

"Orihime, what's wrong?" Rangiku rushed over to the woman sitting in the corner of the room and knelt before her. "Did you have a bad day at the academy?"

Orihime shook her head and swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I-it was fine. Everybody was really nice."

"Were you lonely while I was gone?" Rangiku asked as she playfully ruffled Orihime's hair. "You shouldn't cry about that!"

"That's not it." Orihime choked back a sob and tried her hardest to fight her tears but they all burst out at once and she lurched forward, wrapping her arms around Rangiku.

"There, there." Rangiku said as she patted Orihime's head. "Let's get you some tea and you can tell me all about it."

Orihime shook her head quickly. "No tea, it's fine. I just..." She fought against another outburst and wiped her eyes on the back of her hands. "I don't know why I'm crying. I'm being silly! I shouldn't have persisted. This really is all my fault, Rangiku."

Rangiku sat back and looked to Orihime skeptically. "All your fault? Alright, what happened? Was it that Hollow? Did he hurt you?"

Orihime shook her head vigorously. "No! He only yelled at me. Really it was all my fault. I went to see him when I knew I shouldn't and he told me to leave but I just kept pushing. He had never yelled at me before. I guess it just took me by surprise and I didn't know how to handle it. Telling you now, I just feel silly for crying."

Rangiku sighed and pulled Orihime into a standing position. "It is a little silly. Given the situation he's in with strict orders to stay away from you, it's no wonder he reacted that way. It's no excuse for yelling at you. But Orihime, you have to understand that staying away from him really is what's best for both of you. You know that, don't you?"

Orihime wiped the rest of the tears off her face and nodded slowly. "I'm starting to. I don't want to be the reason that Ulquiorra can't be a Shinigami anymore. But Yachiru said he was alone and didn't have any friends. When he was in Hueco Mundo he was alone, I could see it. Even though he was with the Espada he was still all alone. I think because of that he was a nihilist. If he had nothing to hurt him, he could never be hurt. But then he finally understood what a heart was and... I don't want that to go away. I don't want him to be alone. I don't want him to slip back into nihilism. I want him to know that he has a friend."

"You can't heal the whole world, Orihime." Rangiku smiled sadly and patted Orihime's head again. "You can't heal those that don't want to be healed."

"But he does. I can see it." Orihime nodded to herself. "He was reading that book and he looked so at peace. Happy, even. I've never seen him look happy before, but I know he can be."

"Maybe he'd be happiest if you just stayed away. That way he doesn't get into any trouble." Rangiku sighed and tugged Orihime out of the bedroom. "Now come on. Let's cheer up by you cooking us dinner."

...

Ulquiorra sat staring up at the moon in thought. In his head, the sound of him shouting at Orihime echoed loudly. He didn't like the way it sounded. He was conflicted still on how to handle the predicament he was in. If Orihime truly loved him then he needed to protect her from that. In that way, the situation needed to remain as it was. He couldn't allow her to feel something so powerful toward him, a person who had harmed and manipulated her in unspeakable ways. Then there was the part of him that knew he needed her forgiveness to feel like his existence wasn't a sham. Knowing that she forgave him, knowing that she cared, it left him feeling like anything was possible and everything would be alright.

He treasured that feeling of acceptance more than he even treasured his newfound existence. His thought process was interrupted when he heard Yumichika calling to him.

"What are you doing sitting up on the wall looking so somber for?" Yumichika said with a grin. "Why aren't you at Juliet's balcony exclaiming undying love?"

Ulquiorra glanced down at Yumichika quietly. "If you mean Orihime Inoue, I won't be exclaiming any sort of love to her."

"And why is that?" Yumichika asked as he crossed his arms. "All because you don't know where she's at?"

This caught Ulquiorra's attention. He leapt down from his perch on the wall and landed in front of Yumichika. "How did you know I can't find her?"

"The rumor is that she moved in with Matsumoto. Understandably, you wouldn't know where she lives." Yumichika turned away from Ulquiorra and smirked. "But I do..."

"Will you take me to her?" Ulquiorra asked hopefully.

Yumichika whirled back around and looked at the other Shinigami with interest. "Why? It isn't as though you'll be exclaiming any sort of love to her."

"No. But I must apologize. I lashed out at her earlier and it was unfair of me. If I have any hope of redemption I have to apologize." Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika seriously. "Will you take me?"

"I suppose. Follow me." Yumichika lead Ulquiorra quickly through Seireitei until they reached Rangiku's home. The lights were still on inside and he could hear the loud chatter of Rangiku's voice. "Alright, now do you want me to distract Matsumoto for a moment while you gain Inoue's attention?"

"You'll do that?" Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika in bewilderment. "Why are you so anxious to help me?"

"Because it's romantic and beautiful!" Yumichika squealed with delight and sighed. "Alright! You've got to sneak around back and get into the house while I keep Matsumoto's attention out front! Ready? Let's go!" He rushed toward the front door without another word from Ulquiorra and knocked lightly. "Matsumoto, it's Yumichika!"

Rangiku sat down her bottle of sake and looked curiously toward the door. "Yumichika? What is he doing calling at this late hour?" She stood on wobbly legs and made her way toward the door.

(4) Orihime watched, giggling softly as Rangiku managed her way over to the front door drunkenly. She watched the other woman open the door to greet Yumichika when she suddenly felt a hand tightly over her mouth and another one wrapped securely around her abdomen. She started to scream out but she felt a pair of lips against her ear instructing her to do the opposite.

"Keep quiet and come with me." Ulquiorra demanded as he pulled Orihime to stand and lead her through the house and out the back door. He stared down at her in the moonlight quietly for a moment trying to think about what he wanted to say. "Don't speak, just listen-"

"Ulquiorra! I'm so sorry!" Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra with tear filled eyes. "I should have taken everything into consideration! I shouldn't have been so persistent! I should have-" She paused as she felt Ulquiorra press a finger to her lips. The motion caught her by surprise but was not nearly as shocking as when he reached that same finger up to wipe her tears away.

"Shh... foolish woman. Your tears are wasted on me. Don't cry." Ulquiorra stared down at Orihime calmly. "I'm the one who came to apologize."

Orihime stared up at Ulquiorra in shock. "Apologize for what?"

"I shouldn't have shouted at you. You were just trying to help me. I was out of line." Ulquiorra let his hand drop to his side. "Certain things were brought to my attention that caused me to second guess my association with you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let those silly notions get the best of me. From now on, no more tears."

"U-ulquiorra..." Orihime smiled and rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Ulquiorra tightly. "I'm so glad! I thought you were mad at me."

Ulquiorra stared down at Orihime in awe. Being in her embrace brought a warm sensation to his body. Against his better judgment he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, letting his once injured hand rest on her head. "I'm sorry, Orihime."

Orihime smiled and let out a soft sigh. She rested her head against Ulquiorra's chest, listening to his pulse race in time with her own. She pressed her hand against his chest where his Hollow hole used to be and smiled up at him happily. "Ulquiorra, I-"

"What are you still doing?" Yumichika whispered shrilly at the two standing at the back of the house. "I said I'd keep her attention for a moment! Not all night!"

Orihime pulled away from Ulquiorra as she heard Rangiku calling for her through the house. She looked to the Shinigami sadly and forced a smile. "She's looking for me. You should go."

Ulquiorra nodded slowly. He turned away from her to follow Yumichika but paused to turn back. "I'll be seeing you, Orihime."

Orihime nodded with a wide smile. She watched Ulquiorra and Yumichika make their escape just as Rangiku opened the back door and stepped outside.

"There you are! I was worried!" Rangiku looked at Orihime curiously. "What are you doing out here?"

"I heard a strange noise and came to investigate." Orihime said as she stepped back into the house. "What did Ayasegawa say?"

"Hmm..." Rangiku stared at Orihime skeptically and put her hands on her hips, noticing a slight blush on the other woman's face. "He said that the Hollow was nowhere to be found and since he knew you had come to live with me he wanted to make sure we were okay and that we weren't being bothered. You didn't happen to see the Hollow while you were out there, did you?"

"What? No!" Orihime shook her head vigorously. "I mean, why would he come looking for me? That doesn't make any sense, Rangiku!" She laughed nervously and pulled Rangiku back toward the table. "Let's get this mess cleaned up and then we can both go to bed. It's been a long day!"

...

"You seem to be feeling much better now." Yumichika said with a smirk as they made their way back to the barracks.

"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika in questioning. "Why would I feel better?"

"I just assumed the smile on your face and the spring in your step meant that you enjoyed hugging Inoue." Yumichika shrugged. "I didn't mean to jump to conclusions."

"I was smiling?" Ulquiorra touched his fingers to his lips curiously. "Strange."

"Not strange, really. Not if you think about it logically." Yumichika sighed. "Two star crossed lovers kept apart by two feuding sides. It really is like Romeo and Juliet."

"There are no feuding sides. Captain-Commander Yamamoto thinks it would be best to keep the two of us apart due to the circumstances of the past. I actually agree with him. He's absolutely right in his decision and everybody can see that. Even she can." Ulquiorra looked to Yumichika calmly. "And we aren't lovers. We aren't anything. If she truly feels for me what you claim that she does, I'll have to stop that. I can't allow her to love me in any way. I don't deserve it."

"Don't you think that's up to Inoue to decide?" Yumichika held his head in his hand. "You know, you can be frustrating. Why not just give in?"

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed. "Give in? Give in to what?"

Yumichika fought the chuckle rising in his throat but it came out regardless. "For someone so smart, you really are an idiot! This whole time you've been wondering about your existence and the justification for it. Inoue is your answer! That's her power!"

Ulquiorra stopped walking and looked to Yumichika. "What do you mean? Her hair pins?"

"Her _spiritual power_, the rejection of events. I've only ever seen it in action a handful of times but it is a powerful ability. The stronger she feels about something, the more powerful her ability becomes. I also imagine that it is something akin to Kidō. If the user is skilled enough, they merely need to will their Reiatsu into action. It's been known that in the heat of the moment, an experienced Kidō user has fired off attack spells unwittingly, simply because their will commanded it to happen." Yumichika smirked at Ulquiorra. "I wonder... did Inoue, unbeknownst to her of course, reject the event of your death?"

"She..." Ulquiorra stared at Yumichika in disbelief. What he was saying was making sense and it explained a lot of things. _"That woman..."_

"Did she return your heart to you, allowing you passage into Soul Society? Did she wash away your sins? It seems her powers were much like a Shinigami's after all. All of this happened because of her love. Her will to save you was so strong that it defied fate and gave you this existence. You question her love for you? It's evident just as you stand there breathing. You say you can feel justified in your existence if she forgives you but clearly, all was forgiven a long time ago. Now you stupidly say you'll reject her love? You reject the very thing that gave you life!" Yumichika crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze on Ulquiorra. "You're blessed, don't squander it. You never know when it will be snatched away."

Ulquiorra had been thinking about what Yumichika was saying but at the other man's last words, his gaze snapped up. He felt threatened at those words. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, a number of things. The possibilities truly are endless. If I were you, I'd be working toward protecting what was mine rather than shoving it away." Yumichika shrugged and started to walk off. "I'll leave you to think on that while you finish your evening guard shift."

"Wait!" Ulquiorra shouted but the other Shinigami ignored him and quickly disappeared. His head was swimming with all the information he'd just been given. It was true, he knew very well the kind of powers Orihime had possessed while she was alive and the affects that her powers had on the events surrounding her but he never once took into consideration that she had been the one to save him. Even now, the concept was baffeling to him. Why would she? After everything he had done? The only answer he kept coming back to was love. Was it possible that she loved him, even then when he was at his most cruel? Was it possible that she had already forgiven him for his actions as he was committing them?

He looked at his hand, now a seemingly constant reminder of Orihime. There would be no definite answer unless he spoke to her himself.


	5. Forever isn't Long Enough

Hey guys, it's getting that time of year where I'm going to be super busy. I've been commissioned to do a TON of paintings that need to be done before Christmas so I can earn money for my cousin who is in the hospital battling Leukemia. I'm also planning to spend some much needed time with my boyfriend since we live in different cities and don't get to see each other too often (only about once a week.)

Needless to say I'll be pretty busy but I'm going to try and keep the updates pretty regular. There is a chance however that I might not be able to do so. I hope you can forgive me if I can't.

Anyhow, stuff actually happens in this chapter! YAY!

Lots of drama! The plot thickens to the consistency of mildly runny oatmeal and it can only get thicker the longer we boil it. This chapter and the next have probably got to be my favorites so far and might be my absolute favorites through this whole story, but we'll see how it goes as we move along.

Bah, I'm excited! I don't even want to talk anymore. Let's get on with the story, shall we?

4 Enclave- Sonic Syndicate

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><p>It had been a week since Orihime had come to Soul Society and it hadn't been quite as she had expected it to be. She hadn't expected such a warm welcome. She hadn't expected such a speedy entrance into Shinō academy, nor special treatment when she was there. She hadn't expected to move into Rangiku's home and she certainly hadn't expected to do all the grocery shopping and cooking for the woman, not that she minded. Most of all, she hadn't expected to see Ulquiorra there, a Shinigami no less.<p>

For the past ten years she had just assumed he had faded away. Why wouldn't she? She watched him turn to ash before her eyes. There was no reason for her to think he had survived, let alone gained a heart and found his own way to Soul Society.

It was puzzling but it was a huge relief to her. Maybe if he had made it, the other Arrancar had as well. Maybe nobody had truly lost their lives and that was an outcome she could be content with as long as it didn't cause any problems in the future. It made her happy to think about them finally having hearts and existing in a place where they had the opportunity to be happy.

She tried to force her mind to think about something other than the Arrancar but ultimately her thoughts kept going back to Ulquiorra and his existence. He had changed and yet somehow stayed the same. When she first saw him he appeared timid which was nothing like him at all. Seeing how the other Shinigami treated him did serve as an explanation for this. However that timidness had seemingly melted away upon their second meeting, him even going so far as to stand up to a Lieutenant despite being unarmed. Ulquiorra had never condoned fighting a battle he couldn't win. In fact, he had condemned her friends for it countless times in the past.

He was still stubborn in his beliefs and collected mentally but he seemed more headstrong now. Headstrong and conflicted. She could see that he was battling himself with what he knew he should be doing and what he wanted to be doing. It was those conflicting sides that had caused him to shout at her and then apologize in the same night.

As she thought about that apology a blush came to her cheeks. While it would be true to say that she wasn't in love with him, it would be unfair to say that she felt nothing for him. On the contrary, she cared about him very deeply. She knew nobody would understand it, she barely understood it herself. He was somebody who had threatened to harm her friends. He was somebody who _had_ harmed her friends. Still, the same could be said of some of the Shinigami she had become allied with and she held no grudge against them.

She had pitied him in the past for his lack of belief in a heart and the emotions that accompanied it. However in the time she had spent with him she watched him grow more and more human like in his response to things. And then of course, at his death he was more human than many people she knew. She would be lying if she said she didn't believe that the change in him had come from the time she spent with him. She knew he had gained a greater understanding of the heart and its emotions in the time they were together.

His actions now were evidence of that understanding.

As she made her way through the market searching for the perfect groceries for the next few dinners she felt him following her. At first she had assumed it was a mere coincidence that they were in the market at the same time but she swiftly noticed that his Reiatsu was at a constant distance from her. If she stopped walking, he stopped. If she picked up the pace so did he. This pattern continued for a while before she decided to abandon the grocery shopping for the day and make her way toward Sōkyoku Hill. It was a place that she knew was far enough from everyone that they wouldn't attract attention. Nobody ever went there. It was private and they wouldn't be caught.

(4) She stepped over to the ledge and stared out at the sky as dusk began to set in. "Aren't you supposed to be on guard duty right now?"

Ulquiorra's breath caught in his throat as he started hesitantly over to Orihime. "How long did you know I was following you?"

"Since I left the academy." Orihime turned to look at Ulquiorra with a bright smile. "You don't have to stalk me like an animal in the night. That's more likely to raise suspicions than if you just came up and spoke to me. If you want to talk to me, let me know. Send me a note, I'll make the time to see you."

"I couldn't trust this sort of thing to just a note." Ulquiorra stepped closer to Orihime and stared down at her. "This is rather important."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Orihime asked as she spun around to face the skyline. "When I think about the last time I stood here, it wasn't so pleasant. But it's beautiful now."

Ulquiorra looked out at the sky and nodded slowly. "You can see a lot of Seireitei from here."

Orihime glanced at Ulquiorra out of the corner of her eye as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His face was vacant as usual but his eyes swelled with emotion. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Love..." Ulquiorra looked to Orihime, the expression on her face one of pure shock. "You and I, and what that entails."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Orihime asked. Already she could feel her face flushing crimson. "What has Rangiku said to you? Because I can assure you, she misunderstands a lot and-"

"Ayasegawa brought it to my attention." Ulquiorra stared down at Orihime calmly despite the bundle of nerves in his stomach. "I shouldn't be here. By every sense of logic, I should not exist. Ichigo Kurosaki killed me and he did so as a Hollow, not a Shinigami. I understand little, they refuse to let me learn much about Hollow purification. But from what I do know, a Hollow must be purified by the Zanpakutō of a Shinigami in order to be sent to Soul Society. That didn't happen to me. However, Ayasegawa pointed out that your spiritual powers can reject that which even fate has decided. If what I suspect to have happened is true, you were the one that saved me."

Orihime stared at Ulquiorra curiously. "But, I didn't. I know I didn't use my Shun Shun Rikka."

"You may not have used your powers of your own knowledge, but it is still possible that your will was strong enough to have caused a rejection of events by itself." Ulquiorra stared into Orihime's eyes. "What did you feel when you saw me die?"

"I... I was sad, of course! You took care of me and you were the only person I had for a while. True, you weren't always nice to me but that didn't make you a bad person. I knew that I was the only person you had too and in a weird sort of way I guess I thought we were friends." Orihime looked to the ground sadly. "So watching you fight Kurosaki, watching you wound each other... I couldn't stand it! And watching you fade away and knowing he had hurt you was even worse. I-" Orihime froze as she felt Ulquiorra's hand on her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his.

Ulquiorra stared deeply into Orihime's eyes. He knew that even if she wouldn't be forthcoming with him verbally, her eyes and face would answer his questions. "What did you feel for me, Orihime?"

"Wh-why are you calling me Orihime all of the sudden? And why are you looking at me like that?" Orihime felt herself begin to tremble. Ulquiorra's stare was intense and it made her feel weak.

"What did you feel for me?" Ulquiorra narrowed his gaze on Orihime's eyes. "How could you save me, a person who had caused so much pain and damage to you? How could someone like you shed tears for someone like me? I have my own heart now and yet I still don't understand how you can wear your emotions on your sleeve like you do. You're guarding them now though. Guarding them from me when you never used to. Why won't you tell me what you felt for me? What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that if I tell you how I felt back then..." Orihime paused and stared down at the ground between them, unwilling to continue her train of words. "I'm afraid that it will become a reality again. A-and I can't handle your reaction because I know what it's going to be!" She looked up at Ulquiorra with a stern gaze and tears in her eyes. "You'll say, _"Don't be ridiculous, woman." _and you'll walk away and you'll never speak to me again! I know you will, that's how you've always been!"

"There've been ten long years between us. You don't know who I am anymore." Ulquiorra kept his gaze constant on Orihime. He took a step closer to her and intensified his stare. "Answer me. What did you feel for me? Did you love me, woman?"

"I-if I said yes, would it change anything? Would you see me any differently? Would it change the way you feel about me?" Orihime stared up at Ulquiorra, the tears that had been in her eyes now flowing freely down her face.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and shook his head. "Not a bit."

"Then you really haven't changed at all." Orihime turned away from Ulquiorra and began to sprint away when she felt him catch her wrist in his hand. She felt herself being pulled back and up against the chest of the Shinigami. She blinked up at him with wide, confused eyes.

Ulquiorra let his free hand cup Orihime's cheek as he stared down at her. "Knowing how you felt then doesn't change how I feel now. I may not fully understand these emotions that I'm feeling but I know that they're unmoved either way. You once taught me what a heart was. I'm sure that you'll quickly be able to teach me what this feeling I have now is." He tucked away the hair that was dangling in her face and took notice of the heavy blush on her cheeks. "If you truly loved me back then, you amaze me. Your capacity for compassion is astounding. Your lack of fear in me is even more so. Only you could look at someone like me and see someone worthy of your love. I wasn't worthy of it then, but I will try to be worthy of it now so that you don't have to suffer."

"Y-you idiot, Ulquiorra!" Orihime suppressed a laugh that was coupled with a sob. She gripped his collar and buried her face against his chest. "Loving you was never painful! I didn't understand why I felt that way. I even felt a bit guilty. But never in pain! The only thing that was painful was looking at you and knowing you'd never love me back, just like-"

"Then you're the one who is the idiot." Ulquiorra grasped Orihime's head in his hands and forced her to look up at him. "While it's true that I don't fully understand love, I'm learning about it. For you to make the rationalization that I'm incapable of feeling it is unfair."

Orihime laughed sadly and shook her head. "Silly, just because you can feel love doesn't mean you'd feel it for me."

"Who else, if not you would I feel it toward?" Ulquiorra stared down at the woman calmly. "You're the only person for whom I've ever acted irrationally in the past. I always follow orders that I'm given. Always. But here I am going against them knowing full well the consequences if I am caught. Even now, I know I shouldn't be here. Yet I can't bring myself to leave. Feeling you clinging to me, even if it's just to my Shihakushō... it feels good and I can't justify leaving this feeling."

"U-ulquiorra..." Orihime let her hands slide up the Shinigami's chest until her arms were draped over his shoulders. She stood on tip toe, her heart pounding as she brought her face closer to his. She felt his arms shift to wrap around her waist and she closed her eyes but before her lips could touch his, the light of a Senkaimon began to shine brightly over them. She pulled away from Ulquiorra and stared into the gateway in curiosity. It was odd for one to be opening up at Sōkyoku Hill of all places.

When the blinding light dissipated she saw just exactly who was standing there. In that single moment her heart sank and soared.

"Inoue..." Ichigo stepped out of the Senkaimon and stared at the woman before him. "We just heard."

"Kurosaki." Orihime's eyes swelled with tears again as her gaze fell upon the rest of the group; Rukia Kuchiki, Yasutora Sado and Uryū Ishida all stood before her. "Everyone!"

Ichigo looked to Orihime sadly but he didn't have time to express his sorrow before he caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze to the side and saw with a coldness striking through him that Ulquiorra was standing mere feet from Orihime. "You..." His hand fell instantly to his Zanpakutō and he drew it swiftly. He rushed at Ulquiorra with his sword raised high, ready to cut down the former Espada.

"Kurosaki! Wait!" Orihime dashed forward and stepped between Ichigo and Ulquiorra. She held her arms out to block Ichigo from advancing any closer and shook her head. "He's not a Hollow anymore!"

"That doesn't change what he did to you and what he was probably trying to do to you right now!" Ichigo glared at Ulquiorra from over Orihime's shoulder as he lowered his weapon. "Why is nobody around to protect you from him? It's a good thing Rukia had the Senkaimon open to your exact location. If she hadn't we might have been too late to stop him."

"No! It's not like that!" Orihime shook her head vigorously. "Please, just put your Zanpakutō away."

Ichigo stared at Orihime a moment, the look in the woman's eyes pleading more than her words. He sheathed his sword but kept an offensive stance. "What are you doing all the way out here? Alone with him, no less?"

Orihime smiled when Ichigo disarmed himself. She breathed a sigh of relief before she began to explain. "It's complicated, but Ulquiorra is-"

"A danger to Soul Society and to you, Inoue." Jūshirō Ukitake stepped up behind Orihime and Ulquiorra calmly. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to place him under arrest."

Orihime whirled around to face Jūshirō sadly. "Captain Ukitake... why?"

"Hisagi brought the events of your first night here to my attention. He told me how forth seat officer Cifer resisted arrest and was even prepared to get into a physical fight with him. He also told me that Captain Zaraki was adamant about not administering punishment to his subordinate. However special permissions have been given in the event that forth seat officer Cifer does not comply with our requirements. One of our requirements is that he stay within reasonable distance away from you. He has chosen to ignore this and thusly, I'll arrest him." Jūshirō smiled at Orihime as he handcuffed Ulquiorra with care. "It's for the best. Another Captain might not be so forgiving. Please be grateful that I was the one sent to retrieve you."

"Can't you just ignore this? Captain Ukitake, he's not a threat!" Orihime looked to Jūshirō pleadingly. "He wasn't trying to hurt me! He wouldn't!"

Jūshirō stared at Orihime sadly. It was true that he felt uneased by Ulquiorra's presence in Soul Society but he was also a firm believer in honor and having the chance to prove oneself. Unlike the others, he didn't believe Orihime was still under any form of control of the former Espada and if she trusted him, that said a lot. Nobody truly knew everything that went on in Hueco Mundo except for Orihime and Ulquiorra. There were certainly things that happened that the Gotei 13 simply didn't know about and they were making their judgments based on what they thought they knew. It didn't make the situation any less dangerous but it was one he felt was best watched over from afar. "Please explain, Inoue. What was happening here? I can't in good faith just release him if there is even a shadow of doubt about his intentions here."

"I..." Orihime stared at Jūshirō with wide eyes. She didn't know how to say that the two had been talking about their former and current feelings for one another and she definitely didn't want to tell anybody that she had been inches from kissing him before they were interrupted. She bit her bottom lip nervously and averted her gaze but she could feel everyone's eyes burrowing into her. "W-we were just-"

"I did not comply with the requirements that were placed upon me. It's that simple. There's no reason to drudge up every sentence that was said here this evening." Ulquiorra looked to Orihime calmly. "I won't resist arrest, Captain Ukitake."

Jūshirō nodded slowly. "Very well. Rukia," He turned his attention to his Lieutenant. "I know you just got back from a difficult mission and it appears you've made a detour on your way here, but could you please take him to a holding cell and make certain they know he is compliant and holds no immediate threat?" He then turned his gaze to Ichigo. "Ichigo, please escort Inoue home."

Ichigo nodded slowly. "Come on, Inoue."

Orihime turned to follow Ichigo but she glanced back at Ulquiorra sadly. Guilt filled her to the very core knowing she should have told the truth about why they were there rather than let him take the fall. That guilt struck her even further when she watched him mouth the words, _"I'm sorry, Orihime."_ before Rukia lead him away.


	6. Everywhere but Here

I have the best boyfriend in the world. I'd just like to put that out there, in case anyone was wondering. Lol. His band is awesome, his friends are awesome, he is awesome and just so sweet and… *sigh* He inspires me so much.

Anyway, back to the story!

FINALLY! THESE CHARACTERS CAN MAKE SOME PROGRESS NOW! Lol, I'm sure a few of you are a little less than thrilled by Ichigo's appearance. This IS an UlqHime fic, isn't it?

Fear not. Ichigo's presence is actually helpful to the cause here, even if it doesn't seem like it initially. After all, him being around will force Ulquiorra to come to terms with a few things. You'll see what I mean. :)

I'm still honestly curious to know what you all think Yumichika is up to. He's so deliciously devious, I can't imagine that none of you aren't turning over theories in your heads.

Thank you all for the reviews so far! I was hesitant to post this story since I haven't really been in the fandom for very long and was unsure how it would be received but you've all been wonderful and supportive. I thank you! You guys give me the confidence to want to write more Bleach related fics. (And the reviews inspire me to continue writing, even when I'm super busy and don't have a lot of time. YAY!)

Anyhow, let's get on with the story, shall we?

4 Too Shy to Scream- AFI

* You've Got the Love- Florence + the Machine

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><p>"So, how is everything for you?" Ichigo asked as they sat around Rangiku Matsumoto's table. "Is everyone here treating you nicely?"<p>

Orihime nodded. "Yes. I have lots of new friends at the academy already and of course old friends too. Like Rangiku, who has been kind enough to let me stay with her. Everyone else is really nice too, but it doesn't hurt that they knew me from before."

"That's good." Ichigo smiled with relief but his smile was short lived when he remembered the rest of what he wanted to talk to Orihime about. "Inoue, we would have been here sooner but we just found out about your death."

Orihime looked down at the table sadly. "How is Tatsuki? Is she alive or-"

"She's fine. The injuries she sustained were critical but she's better now. In fact, she's the one that called to tell me about what happened. She's really shaken up about it but I think she'll be fine once she knows we've made contact with you." Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. "She said the car just came out of nowhere."

Orihime laughed sadly. "It's ironic. I've been in countless life threatening situations before, but it's a car that kills me. I'm just glad that Tatsuki is okay."

"Inoue," Uryū looked to Orihime and adjusted his glasses. "how are _you_ handling your death?"

"I'm fine. I'm not as sad about it as I thought I would be. I've decided I'm just going to work really hard to become a Shinigami so that I can work alongside you all in Karakura Town to protect it." Orihime smiled brightly. "It'll be like I never left."

Uryū chuckled softly. "That will be a long time away but it's good to have a goal to work toward. I'm glad you're keeping a positive outlook."

"Of course! You know me. Always positive!" Orihime smiled at the three men before her before everything went silent. She was about to start talking about the academy when Ichigo caught her off guard.

"Inoue, can I speak to you privately?" Ichigo stood and started toward the front door.

"Y-yes." Orihime stood hesitantly and looked to the others. "Rangiku should be back shortly and then I'll get dinner started." She followed Ichigo outside and stood a few feet behind him. "Kurosaki-"

"Why? Why did this have to happen this way?" Ichigo turned to face Orihime sadly. "I should have been there with you two."

Orihime shook her head and forced a smile. "You had other plans, it was fine. I'm glad you weren't there. You would have been sitting on my side of the car and then you would have been the one that got hit. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

"It's my job to protect you. What good am I if I can't protect you?" Ichigo sighed. "I know I couldn't have prevented the accident, but I still feel like I should have been there for both of you. Tatsuki was lying in a hospital miles from home with nobody there for her. At least if I had been there-"

"Stop it." Orihime shook her head again. "You're being silly. These things just happen. Your job is to protect us from Hollows, not car wrecks. And pretty soon that will be my job too."

"That reminds me," Ichigo dug into his sleeve and pulled out Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka. "Tatsuki said the EMT on the scene recovered these. They thought they were hers at first because they had flown so far from your body. I thought you should have them back." He handed Orihime's hair pins into her hand. "At least you'll have something you can use to protect yourself with until you get a Zanpakutō of your own."

"My Shun Shun Rikka!" Orihime smiled brightly and placed the hair pins in her hair. "Thank you, Kurosaki!"

Ichigo nodded slowly. "Listen to me, Inoue. I want you to be safe while you're here. I can't be around to protect you so you have to be more cautious. If we hadn't showed up when we did, there's no telling what might have happened to you."

"It's not like that." Orihime sighed sadly. "Ulquiorra isn't a Hollow anymore! He's a Shinigami and he's a really good one! He does guard duty every night and he doesn't like to get drunk and he always does what he's told to do."

"Except for when he was told to stay away from you." Ichigo looked down at Orihime with concern. "There's no telling what he was going to do to you. You can't trust him. He's a lot weaker now but he's still dangerous. Don't let him hurt you."

Orihime looked away from Ichigo growing angrier by the second. "You're not listening. He wouldn't hurt me. We're... we're friends."

"Today wasn't the first day that you've been alone with him like that, was it?" Ichigo stepped closer to Orihime and grasped her shoulders. "You have to tell me, is he approaching you often? Ukitake said that Hisagi had to protect you from him once. What else has happened?"

"Nothing. It's nothing bad! And I don't need everyone to protect me! I'm going to be a Shinigami soon and I'm perfectly capable of handling myself." Orihime clenched her fists and stared proudly at Ichigo. "I don't need to be protected anymore."

"Let's be honest, Inoue. You don't have the fighting spirit. You'll probably be in the fourth squad with a Zanpakutō meant for healing and you'll still need protection." Ichigo patted her head gently. "I'm sure Rangiku will help though."

Orihime stared up at Ichigo in irritation. She was tired of everyone seeing her as someone weak who needed to be protected. "Actually, I was thinking of joining Kenpachi's squad. Maybe I'll even be a seated officer. Then I can work right alongside Ulquiorra and nobody can tell me otherwise."

Ichigo blinked at Orihime in shock. "What's gotten into you?

"Nothing! I'm the same as I ever was. I'm frustrated with people thinking I'm weak and feeling like I can't even do something as simple as defend myself. Only now, I'm going to do something about it!" Orihime huffed and crossed her arms. "And I'm not going to let anybody bully Ulquiorra anymore! He deserves a chance to prove himself and nobody will give him one! All was forgiven after _we_ broke into Seireitei to free Kuchiki. We fought against the Shinigami and even seriously wounded some of them. But we're all friends now and the past is in the past so why shouldn't Ulquiorra be treated with the same grace? Just because he was a Hollow? Kurosaki, you obtained Hollow powers! Does that mean you shouldn't be trusted?"

Ichigo stared down at Orihime in thought before smiling and ruffling her hair. "You've grown up a lot in just the week you've been gone."

"I've been forced to. I can't be as carefree as I'd like to be." Orihime smiled up at Ichigo. "Please, just give Ulquiorra a chance. If you do, maybe the others will too."

"He kidnapped you. He took you away from us and had all of the Gotei 13 convinced you were a traitor. He held you captive and he even threatened that he'd kill you when he got the order to do so." Ichigo frowned. "How can you expect me to give him a chance?"

"He could have killed me at any time but he didn't. He followed his directions under Aizen. Everything he did was at Aizen's behest. He showed no interest in that war or in anyone's death. None of it had any meaning to him!" Orihime looked up at Ichigo sadly. "He kept me in good health. Above all else, that was his main concern. He took good care of me and I am grateful. Now I'll take good care of him."

"You're too forgiving, Inoue." Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't trust him. Have your forgotten that he nearly killed me? If he comes near you I will protect you. That's my job."

"No, it isn't. I'm not a human anymore and I'm not a wandering soul. You have no jurisdiction over me." Orihime stared up at Ichigo defiantly. "Protecting me isn't your job anymore."

"Yes it is!" Ichigo reached out and grabbed Orihime by her shoulders again. "You're still my friend. You're still dear to me and I care about your wellbeing! Don't be so stubborn, it's unlike you. You were so sweet and carefree the last time I saw you. What happened?"

"She had to learn the hard way that it was time to let go of the past." Rangiku said as she stepped up to her home. "Ichigo, what are you doing here?"

"Rangiku." Ichigo dropped his arms to his sides and turned to face the Shinigami. "We all just heard about Inoue's death. We came to check up on her."

"We?" Rangiku blinked in curiosity. "That means there's others here?" She stepped toward her door and peered inside to see Uryū and Chad sitting at her table. "Oh good! I love company!" She turned her attention back to Ichigo and Orihime and smiled. "You two love birds don't take too long, now."

Ichigo watched in confusion as Rangiku disappeared into the house before turning his gaze back to Orihime. "What does she mean?"

"N-nothing!" Orihime turned her eyes away from Ichigo. Already she could feel the blush flooding her cheeks. "She must be drunk already."

"Inoue..." Ichigo sighed and forced a smile. He had suspicions about how Orihime felt about him. The certain ways she would react to things he said or did and how she would often blush when they were too close showed that she felt more than just friendship toward him. She had been that way for years but he had eventually just brushed it off as her odd behavior. He decided against pressing the matter figuring she would eventually tell him how she felt once she was ready. He ruffled her hair again and motioned toward the house. "You're probably right. We should go back inside and make sure she doesn't traumatize Chad and Ishida."

...

Yumichika stared down at Ulquiorra from the other side of the cell. "My my, you just don't know when to quit. Do you? Soon you'll have our entire division's name soiled. If it were for any reason other than love, I'd be furious with you right now but your reason is beautiful so I can't complain." He sighed and motioned for Ulquiorra to stand up. "Well come on. I came to collect you. The Captain got you released."

Ulquiorra looked up at Yumichika quietly and stood. He walked over to the cell door where the guard unlocked it and let him out. He followed silently behind Yumichika until they were out of earshot of anyone. "Why did you come to collect me?"

"Apparently I'm always the one with nothing better to do." Yumichika chuckled and glanced back at Ulquiorra. "So what happened this time?"

"I had to talk to her after what you told me. I had to find out the truth." Ulquiorra looked at the back of Yumichika's head before turning his eyes to the ground. "She wasn't forthcoming with me, but I suspect you were right. She does, or at least at one point she did love me. I don't understand it and I don't think she does either. I don't understand how someone like her could love someone like me after everything I've done. Regardless, we were talking and she was so close to me, I couldn't just bring myself to walk away even though I had my answer. And then _he_ showed up." He clenched his fists, eyes narrowing at the ground. Before Yumichika could ask who had showed up, he answered. "Ichigo Kurosaki..."

"Oh?" Yumichika smirked widely. Things were starting to get interesting. "Why is that a problem?"

Ulquiorra's clenched fists drew in tighter and his scowl deepened. "She loves him."

At this, Yumichika's small smirk turned into a devilish grin. Thankfully, his back was to Ulquiorra. "How do you know she loves him?"

"I've known from before. When I was a Hollow and she was in my custody. I knew. But the look on her face today when she saw him... her feelings haven't changed." Ulquiorra continued to stare at the floor. Feelings of despair were welling up inside of him. It was an emotion he was all too familiar with though he wasn't sure why he was feeling it.

"You have to get stronger. You have to fight him and claim your love for your own!" Yumichika turned and looked at Ulquiorra seriously. "There's no way he'll let you near Inoue. But if you're strong enough to defeat him, he'll have no choice but to let you see her. Right now, you're about at my level of strength. You need to exceed that and become even stronger than you were before. It's the only way."

"If I get too strong I know I'll only be imprisoned. I'm not even allowed to carry my Zanpakutō." Ulquiorra sighed and shook his head. "She wouldn't want me to fight him anyhow."

"Well she may not want a fight but that's exactly what will happen each time you try to see her. Unless you think you can just walk away from her and never speak to her again. Then of course, he'll have her." Yumichika shrugged. "It's whatever you feel like doing, Hollow."

"I won't just walk away. When she touched me I felt things I've never felt before. No, that's not right. I did feel like that once before." Ulquiorra stared down at his hand in thought. "When I was dying, even though I knew I was fading away I was still happy to hear that she wasn't afraid of me. To see her reach out to me, I felt exactly the same way as I did with her arms around me." He let out another sigh and looked at Yumichika. "This is turning out to be more similar to that story than I thought. There are two conflicting sides now, my friends and her friends. But I still want to see her despite that."

"Ah, Romeo and Juliet." Yumichika smiled and nodded. "Tell me, how far are you into the book?"

"I've reached the point where Romeo is exiled from Verona for slaying Tybalt." Ulquiorra looked up at Yumichika's skeptical gaze. "And before you even suggest it, no, that won't be happening. Nobody is going to be killed."

"If it can be helped." Yumichika shrugged again and turned away from Ulquiorra. "We'll see how things play out. I certainly hope it doesn't have an ending like that story."

"It won't." Ulquiorra followed after Yumichika calmly. "I won't let it come to that. I won't."

"There's no guarantee for that, you know. Granted, I think you and Inoue are both too smart to kill yourselves. But these things have a way of happening regardless. Accidental deaths and whatnot." Yumichika sighed. "It would be a shame to see it play out in Kurosaki's favor. You would die; he'd get Inoue's love. You don't want that, do you?"

"No I don't." Ulquiorra furrowed his brow. "Though I doubt he would do much with her love. He's had it for all these years and he's ignored it."

"Ah, but you wouldn't do that. No, certainly not you." Yumichika smiled knowingly to himself. It was interesting to see how quickly Ulquiorra's opinion of his situation was changing. At first he was oblivious to Orihime's feelings and when he had learned of them he had initially shunned them. Then suddenly those same feelings seemed to intrigue him and now at the threat of those feelings being taken away from him, he was angry and determined to keep them for himself. "Can I be completely frank with you?"

Ulquiorra stopped walking as Yumichika turned to face him once more. "Nothing has ever stopped you in the past."

Yumichika chuckled and flipped his hair out of his face. "True. I've never been one to sugar coat things so I won't do that now. It seems to me that you're not being entirely honest with yourself. I know you're not stupid so you must be in denial. Deep down inside you know what you feel for Inoue. You know that you love her and you probably have for the past ten years. You're smart and you know that going near her will get you into deep trouble yet you keep doing it. Why do you keep doing it? It isn't that you can't help yourself because I know you're not weak willed. If you wanted to, you could stop yourself. But you don't want to stop yourself. You said yourself, you felt joy when she touched you. You're using words like love and friends to describe your relationships with people so you can no longer use the excuse that you don't understand the emotions you're feeling. You understand it well, now stop denying it. Stop being so stubborn and just admit that you love her and that it's a good thing!"

Ulquiorra blinked at Yumichika. He didn't know how to respond, mostly because the other Shinigami had made some very valid points. He did know he was torn between following his orders and doing whatever he wanted where Orihime was concerned. It was irrational and reckless and it was exactly what he had learned love to be. It was true that every time he had thought about Orihime in the past ten years it had brought a warmth over him. Being near her only intensified that warmth.

"If you don't tell her how you feel you could lose her forever. She loves you and she may love Kurosaki too but you can change that. Be the one that responds to her feelings. Tell her what you feel." Yumichika smiled widely. "What have you got to lose?"

"How do I tell her a thing like that?" Ulquiorra stared down at the floor and shook his head. "I'm bad with words and I barely understand it myself."

Yumichika snorted and rolled his eyes. "What's to understand? You love her, she loves you. You make each other happy. That's as simple as it gets!"

"I wish it were that simple. Romeo and Juliet were blessed with idiocy. They didn't take into consideration the consequences of their actions and ultimately they will lose their lives. I'm not so foolish, I know the outcome. The chance of things working out smoothly is very low. Anything can go wrong." Ulquiorra clenched his fists and stormed past Yumichika. "But I still have to try..."

"Hey, where are you going?" Yumichika called to Ulquiorra but the other man ignored him and kept walking. He smiled to himself as he watched the former Espada disappear from sight. "Oh yes, this plan is going to work beautifully."

...

"Inoue, what are you doing out here?" Ichigo asked as he joined Orihime in the front of Rangiku's house. "It's late. Shouldn't you be resting for the academy tomorrow?"

"I can't sleep." Orihime smiled and looked to Ichigo before returning her eyes to the moon overhead. "I have a lot on my mind."

Ichigo stood beside Orihime and looked up at the moon with her. "Is it because of our presence here?"

"No." Orihime bit her bottom lip as soon as the word came from her mouth because it wasn't entirely true. "Well, maybe a bit. Maybe a lot. I don't know what to feel."

"We shouldn't have come unannounced. We were all concerned when we heard, we just wanted to make sure you were alright." Ichigo glanced at Orihime. "I didn't plan on us being a burden."

"You're not at all! I'm so glad to see you! A-all of you, of course." Orihime looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. "You brought my Shun Shun Rikka back to me. I can't thank you enough. And it was good to see your faces so soon. I didn't know when I would see them again. I was worried that I was going to miss you all so much but seeing you all again has put my head on straight. I know I just need to buckle down and work hard so that I can work alongside you all again! No more silly day dreams for me!"

"Does that mean you're going to stop seeing Ulquiorra and just concentrate on becoming a Shinigami? Because honestly, that would put my mind at ease." Ichigo turned to face Orihime and stared down at her seriously. "I know you consider him a friend and I know you think you can trust him but he's a danger. I don't want you around him."

"I understand. I know why everyone feels he can't be trusted. And I've already gotten him into so much trouble, it's probably for the best if I do just stay away." Orihime sighed sadly. "That's the way it has to be. He tried telling me, Rangiku tried. Everyone tried and I didn't listen but I'm starting to see that we're both better off away from each other. Especially if he's going to be getting my head all clouded with..." She trailed off and forced a smile up at Ichigo. "Well, it isn't important."

"Inoue," Ichigo let out an uncomfortable sigh. "do you... have feelings for him?"

Orihime blinked up at Ichigo, petrified. She was being asked by the man she loved if she had feelings for another man and she wasn't sure that she didn't. "Wh-why should that matter?"

"Because if it's true it upsets me and I know there's nothing I can do to change your mind about him." Ichigo gripped Orihime's shoulders gently and stared down at her. "Do you?"

Orihime looked up at Ichigo and she could feel her bottom lip begin to quiver. She lurched forward and buried her face in Ichigo's chest as she started to sob. "I don't know what to do anymore, Kurosaki! I know how I feel and I wish I didn't feel this way! It only makes this all harder. I wish I had the courage to say what I need to say! If I could at least do that then things might be different but I can't because I'm a coward!"

"Shh..." Ichigo placed his hand on Orihime's head in an attempt to calm her. "You're not a coward, and this isn't your fault. Maybe if someone had paid more attention to what was in front of him, you wouldn't be in this predicament at all."

Orihime tensed up and dared a glance at Ichigo's face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we've been close for all these years and I never once took a moment to realize what was going on around me. We were all friends and I would protect you all. That was the only thing that I knew to be true. I didn't know what everyone was feeling inside. How can a person know how you feel if you don't tell them?" Ichigo pulled away and looked down at Orihime sadly. "I guess if I had paid more attention though, you wouldn't have had to tell me. I would have known."

"K-kurosaki..." Orihime bit her bottom lip and fought the burst of tears that were trying to make their way to her face. "I'm in love with you! I've loved you for so long that I don't even remember how or why I started loving you but I don't want to feel this way anymore! Loving you has brought me pain. Seeing you every day and not being able to say how I feel, knowing that you'll never love me the way I needed you to. It hurts too much and I don't want any part of it anymore!"

"I'm sorry, Inoue." Ichigo reached out and pulled Orihime back into his embrace. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you in that way. I should have realized sooner."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Orihime rested her head against his chest sadly. "Rangiku was right. I've had to learn the hard way that it's time to let go of the past. All I have is the future and even that is unclear. I only know that I'm letting you go, Kurosaki. It's the only way I can stand on my own two feet like I need to." She stood on tip toe and stared into Ichigo's eyes. "When you leave Soul Society, only return when you have a good reason to. Don't come see me. Don't check up on me. I want you to live your life without me in it and I'll do the same for you. Goodbye, Ichigo Kurosaki." She pressed her lips to his gently and closed her eyes. Tears were streaming down her face but she tried to ignore them. She pulled away and started inside but she felt Ichigo pull her back.

"This isn't goodbye." Ichigo pressed his lips to Orihime's forehead and wiped her tears away. "It's until we meet again."

(4) Orihime smiled sadly. "Maybe..." She started to turn away from Ichigo but something behind him caught her eye. She looked out into the street to see Ulquiorra standing there with a distraught look on his face. Her heart dropped into her stomach. Had he seen her kiss Ichigo? Had he seen Ichigo kiss her back? She took a step toward him but as soon as she did, he bolted off in the opposite direction. "Ulquiorra!" She started to run after him but Ichigo grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Inoue, don't follow him." Ichigo stared down at Orihime but the look on her face was a defiant one.

"I'm going." She tore her arm from Ichigo's grasp and chased after Ulquiorra. As she followed him through the labyrinth of streets she noticed that he wasn't headed toward the barracks. He was faster than her and she was having a hard time keeping up but she quickly realized where he was headed. She slowed her pace so that she wouldn't expend all her energy and trailed slowly behind him. When she finally caught up to him, he was exactly where she expected to find him. She stepped up to Sōkyoku Hill and saw that he was sitting on the ledge. She approached him quietly but it seemed he was already aware of her presence.

"Go away." Ulquiorra gripped the edge of the cliff tightly in his hands. "I don't want to see you."

"Well that's too bad because I want to see you." Orihime sat hesitantly beside Ulquiorra and placed her hand over his but he quickly drew his own away in anger. She let out a sigh and placed her hand back in her lap. "Why did you go to Rangiku's house?"

"I went there to tell you something important." Ulquiorra kept his gaze away from Orihime. "Clearly I was too late. It wouldn't have mattered anyhow. Just go away."

"Why are you so upset?" Orihime leaned forward so that she was far enough in front of Ulquiorra that he'd at least see her in his peripheral vision. "Was it because of what you saw? It wasn't what you're thinking."

"I know well what I saw! I'm starting to realize that my original beliefs were right. If I can't see it with my eye then it does not exist. Only what I can see exists and I know full well what I saw. _That_ is what exists." Ulquiorra shot a cold gaze at Orihime. "Go away."

"Your eyes can only see the surface. They can't see what's beneath." Orihime sighed and stood slowly. "But that's fine. Believe what you want to believe, I know you will anyway."

"What I want to believe?" Ulquiorra turned and looked at Orihime. "What I want to believe is that you're so drunk on sake that you had no idea what you were doing! But that isn't the case. I know how you feel about him. I know that you love him."

"I was telling him goodbye, Ulquiorra!" Orihime glanced back at the Shinigami who was staring at her with his intense eyes. "I told him how I felt for him and I told him that I hate feeling that way! I told him how it has been nothing but painful for me to love him for all these years. I also told him that I don't want to see him here unless he's on official business or until he's here for good."

"Is that why you kissed him?" Ulquiorra stood and walked swiftly over to Orihime. "You nearly kissed me today, would that have been a goodbye as well?"

"Why are you acting like this?" Orihime furrowed her brow and stared up at Ulquiorra. "I don't know why you're so angry. It isn't as though you-"

"It isn't as though I what? Love you?" Ulquiorra glared down at Orihime. "Because I'm incapable, is that it? I'm just a heartless Hollow who doesn't know love because he can't feel it."

"You're being ridiculous! I didn't say that! I know you have a heart and I know you can feel because you're angrier than I've ever seen you! I just meant that..." Orihime sighed and looked away from the man before her. "Never mind, I didn't come here to argue with you. I came to tell you that things weren't exactly as you thought they were. I don't know why you ran away like that."

"You don't know why I ran away! Y-you're so infuriating! I've never been so angry in my whole existence!" Ulquiorra clenched his fists and stared at Orihime. "What is it about you that makes me feel so strongly? I pride myself on always being level headed and then you come along and you make me act irrationally and you anger me!" He inhaled deeply, Orihime's gaze calming him quickly. "But you also make me the happiest I've ever felt. Isn't that... isn't that the thing you call love?"

(*) "Ulquiorra, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Kurosaki." Orihime sighed and crossed her arms. "I need to stand on my own two feet and I can't do that if I'm clinging to my feelings for another person. And things with you and I, they're complicated. More complicated than they should be. We can't even be friends because we're not allowed to be! I'm starting to understand that it's for the best if you and I just avoid each other. It's better for us that way."

"Better for who? For you and Kurosaki maybe, but not me." Ulquiorra reached out his hand to Orihime. "You told me that when I was ready to reach out to you again, you'd be there. You promised you'd be able to grab my hand this time. You promised that you would never let it go. Well, I'm reaching out to you now! Show me. Show me what a heart truly is."

"Ulquiorra..." Orihime glanced behind her with a sigh. She knew she should leave and just do what she had set her mind to; forget about Ichigo and forget about Ulquiorra but that was easier said than done. "I need to stand on my own two feet."

"You can still do that. But if you should fall, I'll catch you. Or more, I'll never let you fall. Don't be afraid." Ulquiorra looked at her with sincerity in his eyes and his hand still outstretched. "You promised me, Orihime."

Orihime stared at Ulquiorra's hand. The memory of his death came rushing back to her, seeing him standing there reaching out to her desperately. He looked the same now; desperate and she couldn't stand the sight of him looking so sad. _"I'm not afraid."_ She reached out hesitantly with her own hand and grabbed his, lacing their fingers together. "Ulquiorra, _this_ is what a heart is. Can you see this with your eyes? Do you believe that it exists?"

"Yes, I do." Ulquiorra grasped the back of Orihime's head with his free hand and brought her face to meet his. He kissed her lips softly, pulling her closer against him. He kissed her again with hesitation as a small smile started to spread across his face. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fight it away. "You bring me joy."

"I'm glad." Orihime blushed brightly and let her head rest against Ulquiorra's chest. "But, where do we go from here?"

"Central 46 won't understand. They won't allow it. But perhaps if we can appeal to enough of the Captains, there will be nobody to enforce this foolish rule. If not, then I'll just continue to be imprisoned until they get tired of doing so. Either way, I'm going to keep seeing you." Ulquiorra pressed his lips to the top of Orihime's head. "Oh, and by the way," He gripped Orihime's chin in his hand and brought her gaze up to meet with his. "I'm over half way finished reading Romeo and Juliet and there are no space ships or dinosaurs. You owe me an explanation."


	7. World of Doubt

SAN DIEGO, here I come! Man, I thought spending more time with my boyfriend would be slowing me down but he's actually inspiring me to write a lot more. Dunno how much writing I will be getting done in San D though. :/

Alright, so now things should be going perfectly smooth for our wonderful little couple, right? I mean, logic would dictate… oh wait. This is one of _my_ stories. Nothing ever goes smoothly! Ha ha ha!

Enjoy, lovelies!

4 When It's Time- Greenday

* Arms- Christina Perri

* * *

><p>"Where are you off to so early?" Yumichika asked as he and Ikkaku passed by a rushing Ulquiorra. "Not further soiling the good name of our squad, I hope.<p>

"I have to meet someone." Ulquiorra said with a smile. "I might also need you to cover my guard duties this evening. We'll talk about it later!"

Yumichika shook his head and chuckled. "Impossible idiot."

"Don't tell me you're still down on him." Ikkaku looked to his friend curiously. "I understand where you're coming from. I don't want the squad to catch flak because of him either but he's not half bad if you get around how depressing he is. Not to mention, lucky bastard has been sleeping with Inoue."

At this statement, Yumichika burst into all out laughter. "I can assure you, he hasn't gotten that far yet!"

"No way! He said he did. Why would he lie?" Ikkaku turned his gaze to Ulquiorra's silhouette in the distance. "Bet that's where he's headed right now. That's why he seemed so upbeat."

"Maybe you misunderstood him. I _know_ they aren't sleeping together." Yumichika smirked at Ikkaku's confused stare. "What, you think I don't know these things? Trust me, the fool just barely got the courage to speak to her. We're taking it a step at a time."

"We? Meaning you're involved in it?" Ikkaku crossed his arms and stared squarely at his friend. "Alright Yumichika, what's going on?"

"I'm surprised you don't know. But then again, if you don't know then I can't tell you. Let's just say that in the end everyone will be happy with the outcome. Well, most everyone anyway."

...

"Good morning." Ulquiorra said quietly as he approached Orihime from behind. "Sorry, I'm a bit late. I had to make up an excuse so that the Captain would let me go."

"It's alright. I'm just glad to see you." Orihime smiled bashfully and started to walk toward the academy with the Shinigami in toe. "Nobody was suspicious?"

"Ayasegawa asked me where I was headed to, but I'm sure he already knows." Ulquiorra shrugged. "I'm keeping a secret for him. I'm sure he'll keep a secret for me. He cares much more about his secret anyhow." He reached out and grabbed Orihime's hand hesitantly, taking note of the blush that grew on her face. She was being shy again. "Do you think we can continue to get away with this every morning and every evening?"

"Until I work up the courage to tell Rangiku, we'll just have to." Orihime sighed sadly. "I don't like hiding this from Rangiku, especially because she's letting me live with her. I just don't want her to be angry with me and I definitely don't want her to tell anybody else yet."

"We'll have to eventually. People are going to start getting suspicious. They already start to look for us when neither one of us is accounted for. Perhaps we should appeal to Captain Ukitake. He seemed sympathetic when he was arresting me the other day." Ulquiorra gripped Orihime's hand tightly. "It will work out. I'll prove myself somehow."

"I know you will." Orihime smiled reassuringly and continued on toward the academy. She wished that she could just play hooky for the day and run off into Rukongai with Ulquiorra. Likely, nobody there would recognize them and unless they were caught by anyone from the Gotei 13, nobody would bother them, but she knew she couldn't. They both had things they had to do and it was important for her to become a Shinigami as quickly as possible. Before long they reached the outskirts of the academy and she knew she had to say goodbye. "I'll see you this evening, won't I?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "I'll come. We'll meet here."

"Alright." Orihime smiled and pulled her hand slowly from Ulquiorra's to wave goodbye. "I'll see you later then." She rushed off toward her class hoping that she wouldn't get into too much trouble for being late. She ran down the hall and stopped just short of her classroom door where she saw Tetsuya Minahara standing. "Minahara! Good morning!"

Tetsuya turned to face Orihime. "Mornin' there, Inoue. Ya look out of breath!"

"I ran." Orihime said as she gasped for air. "I woke up late. Is Mr. Ōnabara mad that I'm late?"

"I don't know, I haven't gone in yet." Tetsuya smiled kindly at Orihime. "I was worried about ya. After that weird guy came to your old place the other day..."

"Weird guy?" Orihime cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "What weird guy?"

"The one with the sad eyes." Tetsuya rubbed the back of his neck briskly. "I know I shoulda told ya sooner but I didn't want to get ya worried. He came to your old place lookin' for ya. I told him I saw ya leave and I didn't know where ya were but when I started to think about how he almost got arrested, I got a bad feelin' that maybe he wasn't your friend." He looked away from Orihime sheepishly. "And well, you're always early to class so when I saw that ya weren't here yet I got a little worried that somthin' bad mighta happened. If ya didn't come soon I was gonna go lookin' for ya."

"You're sweet, but there's no reason to worry about me Minahara." Orihime smiled at the boy. "That man is..." She blushed lightly and tried to think of how to word her relationship with Ulquiorra. "He's a very special person to me. So you don't have to worry about me, okay?"

"Ah." Tetsuya smiled at Orihime despite that his spirits were a bit broken. "He's your boyfriend. I shoulda known." He shrugged and sighed. "Well, it's a bit of a relief considering the alternative. That woulda been a real waste."

"Minahara, please don't tell anyone about him. It's kind of a secret." Orihime looked up at her classmate sadly. "A really important secret."

"Don't worry. I won't tell on ya!" Tetsuya winked and motioned to the door. "Ya might as well go in. I'll come in a while after ya so I'll catch flak from Ōnabara for being later than ya."

"Thanks, Minahara." Orihime smiled gratefully and started into the classroom.

...

Ulquiorra stared straight ahead of him growing increasingly impatient. It was mid-day and he had been standing around waiting for hours but he had seen little movement. He had almost decided to give up thinking that he had missed his opportunity when suddenly movement caught his eye. He took a step forward and swallowed hard. "Lieutenant Matsumoto."

Rangiku turned her tired eyes toward the Shinigami before her. She wasn't expecting anyone to be at her home, especially not him. "You? What are you doing here?" She groaned inwardly and placed her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakutō. "It's too early for this!"

"Early? It's past noon. I've been waiting all morning for you to..." Ulquiorra shook his thoughts and sighed. "Nevermind. I came here to speak with you, not to cause a fight. Please, hear me out."

Rangiku looked at Ulquiorra skeptically. "Alright, come in. It's too bright outside and I need some more tea anyway." She led the man into her house and motioned for him to sit. "How do you want your tea?"

"No tea." Ulquiorra took a seat at the table and watched Rangiku curiously as she stumbled into and back out of the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands. He waited for her to be seated before he spoke. "You have a nice house."

"Well it's not exactly the first time you've seen the inside of it, now is it?" Rangiku smiled behind her cup of tea as she brought it to her lips. "I'm not as dumb as you or Yumichika think."

"I had come to apologize." Ulquiorra said stiffly. He was now wishing he had accepted some tea so he would at least have something to occupy his eyes and hands with.

"I figured as much, judging by Orihime's change in attitude. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders." Rangiku sat her tea down and stared at Ulquiorra seriously. "I know why you're here." She watched the man's face for emotions but true to how Orihime had described him previously, nothing changed save for his eyes. "You care for Orihime, don't you?"

Ulquiorra nodded in response to the woman before him. "Very much."

"She's fond of you too. She denies it but I can tell. I felt the same way once for a man not too different from you. I could never tell what he was thinking. Even if he was smiling, that meant nothing. I loved him and he very nearly loved me back but he was so driven by his lust for revenge that I don't think he truly _could_ love. He set out to destroy the man he believed had hurt me but in doing so, he hurt me worse than that man ever did." Rangiku fiddled with her cup and kept her eyes downcast. "You knew both of those men very well, Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru. As you can understand, I already have a predisposition to dislike you. It was you Hollows that Gin chose to ally himself with just to get revenge on Aizen."

Ulquiorra looked to Rangiku calmly. "I am no longer a Hollow."

"So Orihime continues to remind me. But you were at one time a Hollow. You were our enemy and to that end, we can't trust you." Rangiku's eyes narrowed on Ulquiorra. "You can at least understand that, can't you?"

"I understand it. I can't say that I agree with it but I do understand." Ulquiorra placed his hands on the table before him and stared at Rangiku. "Still, I can assure you that-"

"You can assure nothing!" Rangiku slammed her hands on the table causing her tea to spill but she paid it no mind. "You claim to care about Orihime and that may very well be true but I have no reason to believe it. And even if it is true, how long will it remain the truth? How long until those feelings go away? It's not a matter of if, but when you stop caring for her and-"

"I will _never_ stop loving her!" Ulquiorra shouted as he rose to his feet with clenched fists. He stared hard down at Rangiku but she only snickered.

"Love. That's a strong word for a man who previously had no heart." Rangiku smiled and leaned her elbow on the table to support her head. "You really love her, don't you?"

"I never felt much of anything before I met that woman. I followed orders because that was all I had to live for. There was no point in existence. There were means to an end with no end in sight. That was how I believed things to be but then she came into my life. She was an oddity. I had never seen a human being wear their emotions on their sleeve quite like she did. At first I thought her foolish. I believed her emotions to be an illusion. I couldn't see them, I couldn't feel them, therefore they didn't exist. But as time went on I began to act in ways that weren't according to my usual manner. I found myself telling her of her friends' struggles in Hueco Mundo though I was never ordered to do so. I wonder if subconsciously I wanted her to know that I wasn't responsible for their suffering." Ulquiorra sat back down and stared at the spilled tea creeping across the table. "When Aizen left Las Noches in my care he told me that she was of no more use to us. I could have let her go, but for some reason I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to do so. And when I died-"

"You finally understood the meaning of a heart." Rangiku smiled. "I know, I've heard it all from Orihime though her version isn't as depressing." She did her best to stifle a yawn and continued to stare at the Shinigami before her. "So what now? You have your heart and these feelings of devotion didn't go away. You think that means you love her?"

"I know that I love her. Even though I still don't fully understand it, it's the only thing that can explain how I feel about her. These emotions that I feel when I think about her... this warmth. I've never felt like this before. Before her my existence consisted of following orders. Now it consists of following her no matter what the outcome." Ulquiorra looked to Rangiku. "Lieutenant Matsumoto, you have to understand that-"

"Matsumoto." Rangiku said yawning once more. "Just Matsumoto is fine."

Ulquiorra nodded. "Matsumoto, I won't stop trying to see her and I'm going to see her with or without your help but without will be harder and more dangerous for the both of us."

"You're an idiot, you know that? I could have you imprisoned for life for what you just told me. But..." Rangiku stood and smiled. "for whatever reason, I believe your feelings are genuine. I won't help you sneak around but I'm not going to hinder you either. Whatever you two choose to do is your business."

Ulquiorra smiled up at Rangiku gratefully. "Thank y-"

"However! If you should do anything to hurt Orihime, you don't have to worry about the rest of the Gotei 13 or being imprisoned. I'll kill you myself." Rangiku stretched and started toward her front door. "Now leave. I've got to get to work or I'll get a lecture from my Captain."

Ulquiorra glanced at the tea that was still pooled on the table. "But the spilled tea."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get it. Now leave before somebody sees you here!" Rangiku held the door open for Ulquiorra and watched as he hurried his way out of her home. She let out a sigh as she watched him walk off. "That stupid man..."

...

Orihime let out a heavy sigh as she exited the academy. She had gotten a lecture from her teacher for being late but even worse was that Tetsuya had barged into the classroom in the middle of the lecture with some ludicrous story as to why he was late. He had told their teacher that he had gotten into a wrestling match with a Hollow on his way to class and had to kill it with his bare hands. Of course, Gengorō Ōnabara was no stranger to such absurd tales and as punishment the two of them were required to stay after class to make up for the time they had missed. Orihime didn't know why she was being punished for Tetsuya's actions but she didn't argue. She just stayed after as she was told.

She was certain that Ulquiorra had probably gotten tired of waiting for her and just left, assuming he had come at all. Sadness began to overwhelm her until she heard a voice calling for her, but it wasn't Ulquiorra.

"Inoue!" Tetsuya rushed after Orihime waving his hands frantically. "Inoue! Wait!"

Orihime cringed as she heard Tetsuya calling her name. It wasn't that she didn't like him but right now she was so irritated with him for getting her into trouble that she didn't want to talk to him. Still, his intentions were good so she stopped and turned to face him with a smile. "Minahara..."

Tetsuya stopped just short of Orihime and put his hands on his knees. He began heaving for air and looked up at her apologetically. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get ya into trouble. I was just tryin' to get out of trouble and it backfired. I'm sorry."

Orihime continued to smile. "It's no big deal."

"But it is!" Tetsuya stood upright and looked at the ground. "I saw the look on your face when Ōnabara told us we had to stay after. Ya weren't angry, ya just looked sad. And then I realized ya probably had your boyfriend waitin' to walk ya home and seein' as it's supposed to be a big secret and all... well, I screwed it up. I'm sorry."

Orihime shook her head and smiled to hide the tears wanting to fall from her eyes. She didn't know when she could see Ulquiorra again and it made her sad but she didn't want to cry about it and she definitely didn't want Tetsuya feeling like it was his fault. "It's okay, Minahara. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe something really bad would have happened if he walked me home tonight."

"Maybe, but I feel awful. Would ya..." Tetsuya rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked away from Orihime. "C-could I walk ya home, Inoue? I mean, I understand if you're too mad at me but a lady shouldn't walk home alone."

"That won't be necessary." Ulquiorra said as he approached the two students.

"Ulquiorra! You came!" Orihime looked up at him happily.

"I said I would." Ulquiorra stepped forward until he stopped at Orihime's side. "I heard your voice so I came out of hiding. We should go before somebody sees us."

Orihime nodded. "Okay, but before we go I want you to meet my friend." She motioned to Tetsuya and smiled. "This is Tetsuya Minahara, my classmate. Minahara, this is Ulquiorra Cifer my..." She paused in thought and tried to find a word to describe him because boyfriend just sounded awkward.

"That Hollow that everyone has been talkin' about!" Tetsuya looked to Orihime worriedly. "Ya didn't tell me ya were datin' the Hollow!"

"He's not a Hollow! And we're not dating! We're... close." Orihime looked to Tetsuya sadly. "Please, Minahara. Don't tell anyone. They wouldn't understand."

"I can't say that I blame 'em!" Tetsuya stared and Orihime. "Do ya know what he's done? I heard he kidnapped a girl right out from under the watch of the Gotei 13 and took her to Hueco Mundo where he tortured her and did some other really horrible things! He's a monster and he-"

Orihime reached out and slapped Tetsuya hard across the face. "That's enough! I'm so tired of everyone thinking they know what went on in Hueco Mundo! _I_ was that girl, Minahara! I know exactly what happened in Hueco Mundo because I lived it and let me tell you, it wasn't as horrible as everyone makes it out to be! Nobody else knows what we experienced there, they can only make guesses and start rumors. But the truth is, I was treated well there and I have Ulquiorra in part to thank for that. Maybe you should spend less time listening to stupid rumors and more time learning the facts before you judge somebody!"

"I'm sorry, Inoue." Tetsuya stared at the woman before him and held a hand to the cheek where she had smacked him. He turned a hesitant gaze toward Ulquiorra and then averted it quickly. "I'm sorry, sir."

Ulquiorra looked at Tetsuya unmoved. He actually didn't feel like he deserved an apology. Everything that the boy had said was more or less true and he was only repeating what he had heard from others. Orihime may not have viewed what had happened to her as bad but Ulquiorra did and everyone else clearly did as well. He turned away from the boy and started to walk away. "Let's leave."

"Alright." Orihime turned to follow Ulquiorra. Once they were out of earshot of anyone she sighed sadly. "I'm sorry about that. I can't believe he was so cruel."

"He wasn't being cruel. He was being truthful. He was only repeating what he had heard and what he heard wasn't far from the truth." Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime. "I tortured you in Hueco Mundo. I hurt you mentally and I view that pain to be far worse than physical pain. Physical wounds heal. Wounds of the heart and mind scar and they take much longer to heal. At times, they can even last forever. I had hurt you so badly. That's why initially I felt I needed to protect you from loving me. Ayasegawa had tried to change my mind about it but I'm starting to see I was originally right. You're delusional when it comes to what happened in Hueco Mundo."

Orihime stopped walking and stared at the back of Ulquiorra's head. "Do you care for me, Ulquiorra? Did you care for me back then?"

"I did then and I do now. But that's regardless. Someone like you needs to be protected from loving someone like me." Ulquiorra turned to face Orihime. "It is because I care for you that I should protect you. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Stop it." Orihime clenched her fists and looked up at Ulquiorra with tears in her eyes. "You're hurting me right now! Much worse than you ever could have before. I told you that loving you was never painful. The only part that hurt was the idea that you could never love me back. But you love me now, don't you?" She fought back a sob that was trying to come out and continued to stare at Ulquiorra. "I've never been good at expressing how I feel for people. I'm shy and it's hard to be truthful when I feel as strongly about a person as I feel for you. I love you, Ulquiorra. I love you and you have no idea how hard it is for me to admit that to your face, let alone to myself. And I'm tired... I'm so tired of everyone telling me that loving you is a bad thing! If it's so bad then why does it make me feel so happy to finally admit that? I love you Ulquiorra Cifer! Don't you get that? It won't change, believe me. I tried to rid myself of the feeling in the past but it wouldn't leave me. Now I don't want it to leave me and I don't want you to leave me either. You're being silly, so stop it. Please."

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime. The look on her face was causing sorrow to fill up inside him and he didn't like the feeling. He didn't like the idea of making her look at him with such hurt in her eyes. He never had liked it. "I'm sorry I upset you." He took a step toward Orihime and held out his hand for her to accept. "I'm new to this and above all else, I want you to be happy. I'm going to try my hardest to make sure that happens." He gripped her hand gently when she placed it in his own. "I'm sorry."

Orihime shook her head and forced a smile. "I just don't want to hear you say such silly things anymore. Okay?"

Ulquiorra nodded and started walking toward their destination. "I spoke to Matsumoto today."

"You what!" Orihime blinked at Ulquiorra with wide eyes. "What did you say to her? Was she angry?"

"She was furious. She very clearly does not want me involved with you but I was able to reason with her. I told her how I feel about you and that I would never stop trying to see you. She said that she wouldn't help us sneak around but she would no longer hinder us. I assume that means she won't be reporting you as missing or late when you haven't come home on time." Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime who seemed nervous. "It's a step in the right direction. Eventually we'll have to be truthful with everyone. Even your friends in the world of the living will have to find out. Is that something you're willing to accept?"

Orihime stared at the ground in thought. She thought about Chad and Uryū and how they might react. She knew Chad would be as supportive as he could be, even if he wasn't happy about it. Uryū would be angry and he might even try to change her mind but eventually he too would grow to accept it. Ichigo however, he would despise the idea and he would likely never accept it. As much as Orihime would like to believe that she didn't care about what Ichigo thought, his opinion mattered to her greatly. "Wh-what are we, exactly?"

(4) Ulquiorra looked to Orihime in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"You want to tell everyone about us so that we don't have to sneak around. But how do we define our relationship? Minahara called you my boyfriend but that isn't exactly right. A boyfriend is someone who you have a crush on that returns your feelings, so you go on dates and even sometimes hold hands. But we've been through so much together that the word boyfriend doesn't even come close to how I would describe you. We're beyond that point." Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra. "We're not going steady either. That's something reserved for couples who have been together a long time and are very serious about each other."

"I'm very serious about you." Ulquiorra stopped walking and turned to face Orihime. "I know that I love you. I still don't fully understand all the implications of that but I know it's what I feel. I would do anything for your happiness and I'm very serious about that."

Orihime smiled sadly. "I wish you understood more about emotions."

"But I have you to teach me." Ulquiorra clasped Orihime's hands in his own. "What I don't understand, you can teach me about."

"It isn't that simple." Orihime shook her head and sighed. "For instance, do you understand that there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone?"

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? I love you, so then I'm in love with you, aren't I?"

Orihime shook her head again and laughed. "I don't think you are. If you were, you'd know it." She started walking again with her hands behind her back. "How do I explain this? Let's see..." She looked up at the sky in thought before smiling. "Aha! I know! So you know that I love you. I care about you very deeply."

Ulquiorra nodded. "And I love you back. And that makes you happy. We're in love."

Orihime giggled softly. "Not necessarily. I also love Ishida and Sado, Kuchiki and Rangiku. I love most everyone I know and many of them love me back. That also makes me very happy but it doesn't make me in love with all of them. Do you understand? You can love your friends, your siblings, your parents. All love is different. The way I love you is not exactly the same way that I love Ishida and it isn't the same way that I love Kurosaki."

"I only know one way to love. That's how I feel for you." Ulquiorra looked to Orihime in questioning. "You said that if I was in love with you I would know it. What is the difference between loving and being in love and how will I know it? What does it feel like?"

"When you love someone, it could be anyone. You feel very strongly for them. You want them to be happy and never sad. You want to do anything in your power to make life happy for them. You like to be around them. You may even act irrationally when it comes to that person. Love is very general in that way, though it affects some more strongly than others. But to be in love..." Orihime let out a heavy sigh. "It's a feeling I can't describe other than to say you'll know it when you feel it. I'm sure it's different for everyone, though it still shares those basic characteristics of normal love. Unfortunately though, being in love can hurt. When you're in love but that person isn't in love with you, it's painful. Or when that person does something to hurt you, intentional or not, it hurts worse than any wound."

"I would never do anything to hurt you, Orihime." Ulquiorra clenched his fists tightly. "Not anymore. Not ever again."

"You don't have to worry about that, silly." Orihime smiled up at Ulquiorra. "I'm not _in_ _love_ with you, so you can't hurt me that way."

At Orihime's words, Ulquiorra felt a pang strike through him. She wasn't in love with him and knowing that made him feel a twinge of pain. She herself had just said that when someone you were in love with wasn't in love with you, it caused pain and that was exactly what he was feeling. "O-orihime..."

"Hmm?" Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra with a smile.

"N-nothing." Ulquiorra kept his eyes pointed forward. "So, we're friends."

"Friends who like each other a little bit more than just friends." Orihime turned a bashful gaze away from Ulquiorra.

"I see." Ulquiorra continued to walk step for step with Orihime until they reached Rangiku's house. He stepped up to the door and stared down at Orihime. "Good night."

"Won't you come in? Just for a bit?" Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra pleadingly. "Unless you have duties to attend to."

"It's late. Matsumoto is probably home by now and I don't want to put her in an uncomfortable situation." Ulquiorra turned away from Orihime quickly. "I'll try to be on time tomorrow."

"A-alright. Good night!" Orihime watched Ulquiorra curiously as he walked off without another word. She turned to step into the house but saw with surprise that Rangiku was standing at the door staring at her. "Ack! R-rangiku! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"So... you and the Hollow, huh?" Rangiku rolled her eyes dramatically. "Who would have thought?"

"It's not like that! We're just close. A-and he's not a Hollow." Orihime started into the house and sighed. "I know I should have told you sooner but I was so worried that you'd be upset."

"Oh, I'm upset. I can't believe I had to hear it from him how in love with each other you two are." Rangiku walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. "I should have heard it from you!"

"I know, I'm sorry. And we're not in love." Orihime followed after Rangiku and sat beside her on the couch. "We just care a lot about each other in a way that's a little less than platonic. We're not in love."

"You could have fooled me! I see the way he looks at you, the look in his eyes. So passionate. He's truly in love with you." Rangiku smiled knowingly. "Don't pretend you aren't in love with him too."

"I'm not! It's true, I love him. But loving him and being in love with him are two completely different things!" Orihime looked down at the floor. "He doesn't understand the difference yet, but I know he isn't in love with me. He's only acting off of what he's read about love from a book. A very old, silly book."

"I may be sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong, but I don't think that's the case." Rangiku smiled at Orihime kindly. "I don't know much about your friend, but what I could gather from the short time I talked to him is that he isn't the type to do something just because it is what is deemed normal. He believes that he loves you but he isn't going to act like he does if it doesn't feel right to him. Do you know what I mean? You wouldn't keep doing something that felt wrong to you just because you believed it was what you ought to be doing, would you?"

"N-no." Orihime shook her head quickly. "But he doesn't understand what he-"

"Oh, he understands. He may not understand it like you or I do but he still understands when something feels right or wrong, when something brings him happiness or sorrow." Rangiku sighed. "He's not stupid, Orihime. If he didn't feel that way for you he wouldn't act like he did. He'd treat you according to what feels right to him."

Orihime looked down at the ground sadly. "I hope you're wrong. I hope he's just acting in blind faith from what he read about love."

Rangiku cocked an eyebrow at Orihime in curiosity. "Why is that?"

(*) "I told him that I'm not in love with him! No wonder he acted so strangely." Orihime buried her face in her hands and groaned. "How could I be so stupid? I told him that loving is different than being in love because when you're in love it's easy to be hurt. He told me he'd never hurt me. Yeesh!" She grasped her head in her hands. "Why do I have to be such an oblivious moron sometimes?"

"You're not a moron! You're just in denial, that's all." Rangiku laughed softly and shook her head. "What are you going to do now? You probably really hurt his feelings. The best course of action would be to be completely honest with him about how you feel. So... what exactly _do_ you feel for him, Orihime?"

"I..." Orihime looked down in her lap and blushed brightly. "I don't know! I'm happy to be around him. I love him so much, just like all of my friends. But it's different than how I feel about you or Kuchiki. When he holds my hand it makes me nervous but really happy too! And when he kissed me-"

"He _kissed_ you!" Rangiku leapt forward and pounced on top of Orihime. "You didn't tell me about this! Are you insane! Why didn't you tell me?"

Orihime blinked up at Rangiku in concern. "I didn't think much of it. At first I thought he only did it because he saw me kiss Kurosaki and-"

"You kissed Ichigo too!" Rangiku stared down at Orihime intensely. "You didn't tell me that either! No fair! I have to punish you now!" She began tickling the other woman vigorously. "Why did you kiss Ichigo? I want the truth!"

"Ahahahaha! Ra-rangiku! S-stop it! Pl-please!" Orihime gasped for air and managed to wiggle her way out from under Rangiku. "It was just a goodbye kiss! I finally gathered the courage to tell Ichigo that I'm in love with him. I told him that I've loved him for a long time and that it has only brought me pain. I explained that I'm going to stand on my own two feet from now on and that meant moving on with my life without him in it. I kissed him goodbye because it felt right and I'd never had the courage to kiss him before." She looked at Rangiku sheepishly. "I'm trying my best to forget those feelings and just focus on becoming a Shinigami. But Ulquiorra saw me kiss Ichigo and he ran away before I could explain so I chased after him. He seemed angry and I didn't understand why he was so mad. The only thing I could think was that he hates Ichigo and he was afraid Ichigo wouldn't let us be friends but I guess I was wrong. He started talking about love and a promise I had made to him. I was going to try to forget about him too but I couldn't stand to see him so sad looking. He reached out to me again and I couldn't do anything other than accept his hand. Then he pulled me close and he kissed me but-"

"You kissed Ichigo because it felt right and you never had the courage to do it before. It seems to me the same logic applies to your friend. He didn't kiss you because he saw you kiss Ichigo. He wasn't mimicking you or doing what he thought he ought to be doing. He did what felt right to him." Rangiku nodded to herself. "Now you've gone and broke his fragile little heart."

"D-do you think so?" Orihime looked to Rangiku in a panic. "I have to go explain!"

"Stay put. There's nothing for you to explain right now. If you're truly not in love with him and you try to explain that you'll probably only end up hurting him more. Personally, I'm not convinced that you aren't in love with him." Rangiku stood slowly and stretched. "When he kissed you, how did that make you feel?"

"Embarrassed!" Orihime blushed brightly as she thought back on the action. "But also... happy. His lips were so soft and when he pulled me against him it took my breath away. I couldn't think about anything except how good it felt to be in his arms. But then when he stopped kissing me all these bad memories came welling up and I started to feel guilty. Then he told me that I made him happy and hearing that made me happy too but-"

"So it's your guilt that's causing you to second guess how you feel about him. Orihime, there's nothing to be guilty about. Everything that happened was over ten years ago. You're a woman now. You're not a girl anymore and it's time you stopped acting like one. If you're in love with him you need to admit it before it's too late. Trust me Orihime, once it's too late you'll be spending the rest of your life regretting that you never reached out and grabbed what you wanted. I know you're in love with Ichigo still and you probably feel like you're betraying him by loving that Hollow but you're only betraying yourself if you keep denying how you feel. What it all boils down to is this; Ichigo isn't here. Ulquiorra is and if you love him as deeply as I think you do, you'll be silly not to accept that feeling." Rangiku ruffled Orihime's hair and sighed. "I guess I'll cook dinner tonight while you think about things."

...

Ulquiorra approached the barracks quietly and saw Yumichika waiting for him almost immediately. He was dreading talking to the other man. He knew Yumichika would be full of questions about how things were going with Orihime and those were questions Ulquiorra rather stay unanswered. "Thank you for covering my shift."

"No problem, lover boy." Yumichika smiled at Ulquiorra but he quickly noticed the other Shinigami seemed distressed. "Alright, what happened? I thought things were going smoothly with Inoue. Ichigo Kurosaki is out of your hair and long gone. You've finally admitted your feelings for her so what's the problem now?"

"She isn't in love with me. She loves me, but she isn't _in love_ with me. Those are two different things, I guess." Ulquiorra let out a sigh. "Did you know they were different?"

"I suppose I sort of knew that. You have to love someone to be in love with them, but you don't have to be in love with someone to love them. That's how I always heard it. But that isn't a bad thing! She still loves you, it isn't as though she despises you. Eventually she'll fall back in love with you." Yumichika shrugged and smiled. "And yes, I said _back in love_ because I truly believe she was in love with you once before. I have the perfect plan if you'll listen and it will help get you that which you desire most."

Ulquiorra leaned against the wall across from Yumichika. "I'll listen to anything if it will make me stop feeling like this."

"Alright, then here's what you do. You're supposed to meet her tomorrow morning, just like this morning. Am I right?" Yumichika watched Ulquiorra nod before continuing on. "Perfect. So, you don't show up tomorrow morning. She'll be worried and even a little frantic. She'll be upset."

"Wait a minute." Ulquiorra clenched his fists tightly. "I don't want to upset her. I've already caused her enough pain. I don't want to cause her any more."

"Sometimes you have to cause a little pain to get a little pleasure. Trust me, this plan only gets happier." Yumichika grinned and closed the distance between himself and Ulquiorra. "So she'll be thinking about you all day. She won't be able to get you out of her mind. She'll be worried to know if she upset you or if something bad has happened to you and she'll start to wonder why she's so worried. Then as if nothing happened, you'll show up to meet her in the evening and take her to a special place. Er..." Yumichika paused and looked at Ulquiorra skeptically. "You_ do_ have a special place where you can take her, don't you?"

Ulquiorra shrugged. "Sōkyoku Hill I suppose."

Yumichika clapped his hands together excitedly. "Perfect! It's quiet and desolate. It's the ideal spot. So you'll take her there and lay out beneath the stars with her. That's all you have to do. It's romantic yet simple and she'll fall in love with you all over again. She'll realize that while she's been worried about you all day, it was really because she's in love with you. Then you can hold hands, kiss, have sex. Whatever it is you two do in your free time."

Ulquiorra felt heat rise to his face at Yumichika's words. "W-we-"

"Blushing?" Yumichika made a tsk sound and wagged his finger. "Don't start going bashful on me now. We're adults, there's no reason to be getting embarrassed over holding hands and kissing."

"That's not..." Ulquiorra sighed and shook his head. "Never mind! Anyhow, you're sure your plan will work?"

"If it doesn't, I'll personally set up a kidnap and rescue mission for you." Yumichika winked at Ulquiorra and nudged him away. "Now go get some sleep. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow."


	8. There Goes the Sun

I figured I would upload a chapter for you all right before I run off to San Diego this weekend.

I'd like to welcome you to the plot. :) This is where things (FINALLY) start to get interesting! Yay! I hope you're all prepared! Now without further delay, I leave you with a cliff hanger. Tada! Enjoy!

4* All This and Heaven Too- Florence + The Machine

* Young Blood- Naked and Famous

4 Holding On- Scary Kids Scaring Kids

* * *

><p>(4*) Orihime stood at the front of Rangiku's house waiting patiently for Ulquiorra to arrive but he was late. She had been waiting for thirty minutes and she knew she couldn't wait any longer, otherwise she'd be late to class again and she didn't want to get into trouble. She walked slowly and tried to sense Ulquiorra's presence approaching but she couldn't feel him near at all. Sadness filled her at the thought that he might be mad at her or worse. He had said he would be on time to see her and he was always one to keep his word.<p>

She approached the academy to find Tetsuya waiting outside. He looked as though he was waiting for her. She felt bad for slapping him and she knew she needed to apologize so she stepped up to him quietly. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Minahara."

"I'm the one who should apologize. I was out of line. Forgive me, Miss Inoue." Tetsuya bowed to the woman before him and kept his eyes downcast.

"It's alright. You apologized last night! You don't have to apologize again and you don't have to call me Miss. Just Inoue is fine." Orihime smiled at her friend sadly. "I really shouldn't have slapped you. I was the one who was out of line. I just got so angry hearing you say all those things about Ulquiorra." She sighed sadly and shook her head. "I don't know why, but when it comes to matters concerning him I act irrationally. I get angry too easily when it comes to him, especially about those awful rumors."

"About that, I want to apologize to him too." Tetsuya looked around for the Shinigami. "I know it must be hard havin' everybody drag up your past like that, especially when things get exaggerated. He's probably got to prove himself to everybody and spreadin' rumors like that just makes it harder on him. I owe him a real apology. One where I can look him in the eye like a man and shake his hand."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate that Minahara, but he isn't here." Orihime glanced behind her and tried to feel for Ulquiorra's Reiatsu but it was still too far away. "Maybe another time."

Tetsuya looked to Orihime worriedly. There was a sadness in her eyes that wasn't normally there but he didn't want to pester her about it. "A-anyway, we should get to class before we're late again!"

Orihime nodded with a smile. "Right."

...

Yumichika smiled to himself as he walked down the corridors of his division's barracks. He knew he was being followed but he kept quiet until his Lieutenant pounced on his shoulders. "Good morning, Lieutenant."

"Morning, Yun-Yun!" Yachiru smiled happily as she slid down to the ground and followed closely at the fifth seat officer's heels. "You seem happy. Did you make any progress?"

Yumichika sighed and brushed his hair out of his face with his hand. He glanced over his shoulder at Yachiru and winked. "It's simply too soon to say."

"No it isn't!" Yachiru stamped her foot on the ground and stared up at Yumichika. "You're teasing me, now stop it! Did you make any progress or not?"

"I did. As a matter of fact, it's going to be time to make a move soon." Yumichika grinned widely. "Does that make you happy?"

"It depends! How soon?" Yachiru asked skeptically. "A few weeks?"

"Try a few hours." Yumichika chuckled at the delight that filled the small Lieutenant's face. "Everything is falling into place. It just needed the right touch."

"As only you could give, Yun-Yun!" Yachiru giggled happily. "Yay! No more waiting!"

...

Orihime let out a heavy sigh as she exited the academy. She'd spent all day worrying about Ulquiorra and why he hadn't met up with her. She could hardly concentrate in class with her brain running circles, trying to figure out why he hadn't shown up. She figured that she had hurt him when she told him she wasn't in love with him but he was never the type to let something like that bother him to the point of going against his word. She tried to sense his presence but he was still far away. She started home sadly with her eyes pointed toward the ground but she only made it half way when she bumped into someone walking. "I'm so sorry, I..." She looked up to apologize to the person she bumped into to see Ulquiorra standing in front of her calmly. "U-ulquiorra!"

"Come with me." Ulquiorra motioned for Orihime to follow him and he lead her quietly toward Sōkyoku Hill despite her many questions. She was very curious to know how he was, why he hadn't met her and if something was upsetting him but he ignored all her queries and stayed silent. By the time they reached the hill the sun had already begun to set. He motioned to a blanket he had laid out for them and watched her for her reaction.

(*) Orihime looked to the blanket curiously before turning her gaze to Ulquiorra. "Why are we here? Wh-what is the blanket for?"

"I wanted us to be able to watch the sun set and the stars rise." Ulquiorra took a seat on the blanket and looked up at Orihime. "Aren't you going to sit?"

"O-oh! Yes." Orihime sat down beside Ulquiorra and avoided making eye contact with him. She could feel his eyes staring at her as though they were looking deep inside her. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity and she tried to keep her eyes focused on the sun set but a thought kept popping into her mind. "This was a nice idea, Ulquiorra. What made you want to do something like this?"

"You did." Ulquiorra turned his gaze out toward the setting sun and let out a soft sigh. "Orihi-"

"Ulquiorra, I..." Orihime looked up at the man beside her in a panic. She had to set things straight before they got any more complicated or confusing and definitely before Ulquiorra got hurt any more but she didn't know how to word what she wanted to say. "I didn't mean what I said yesterday!"

Ulquiorra kept his eyes forward despite that he wanted desperately to look at the emotions on Orihime's face. "Oh? You said so many things yesterday. What in particular are you talking about?"

Orihime fidgeted uncomfortably and bit her bottom lip. "When I said that I'm not in love with you. That wasn't exactly the truth. I'm just too afraid to admit it because I feel a bit guilty like I'm betraying everyone who tried to rescue me from Hueco Mundo! They fought against you and your allies to protect me and now it's as though I'm undermining all that. And I'm also afraid of getting hurt because I've been in that situation of unrequited love before and I don't ever want to hurt like that again and I-"

Ulquiorra reached out his hand and cupped Orihime's cheek. "Didn't I tell you yesterday? I'll never hurt you ever again. I intend to prove that to you and I'll prove it to your friends too." He pulled Orihime close to him and kissed her lips gently. Once again, an unavoidable smile began to bubble up across his face. He pulled away from her and tucked away a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't want you to feel guilty, so we'll take this as slowly as you need to."

"I'm tired of feeling guilty. I'm not a girl anymore. I'm a woman and it's time I started acting like one! I've felt this way about you for a long time and I've been too shy and too worried to say it to anyone but I'm tired of being worried and I'm tired of being shy about it!" Orihime leaned forward and pressed her lips to Ulquiorra's. She parted her lips to deepen the kiss and let her tongue slide hesitantly against his. He seemed shocked by the action initially and he darted away quickly. "I'm sorry! W-was that bad?"

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime with wide eyes, his tongue tingling where it had made contact with hers. He reached out with both hands to grab her face and brought it closer to his. "No, not bad." He pressed his mouth against hers, this time bypassing the simple kiss. He let his tongue dart out against hers as he eased her down into a laying position. He continued to kiss her, careful not to become too forceful. After a moment he pulled away slowly leaving one last peck on her lips. He stared down at the heavy blush on her face and smiled as he ran his thumb across her cheek. She had never looked so beautiful.

"I've always wanted to kiss a person like that." Orihime reached up her hand to caress Ulquiorra's cheek. "I'm glad that it was you."

Ulquiorra laid beside Orihime and kept his hand against her face. He twirled a stray piece of her hair around his finger and let out a happy sigh. "I've never felt like this. It's more than joy. I can't explain it."

Orihime smiled and scooted closer to Ulquiorra. She wrapped her arm around his back and pulled herself closer to his chest until she was lying completely against him. She closed her eyes and listened to him breathe. His heart was pounding against her ear and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. "I'm so happy."

"Don't I just hate to be the killjoy, then." Yumichika said as he approached the couple lying under the newly risen stars.

"Ayasegawa?" Ulquiorra bolted into a sitting positing and stared at his squad mate in confusion. "What happened? Is there an emergency?"

"No emergency." Yumichika smiled and advanced on the two quickly. "I'm afraid I really can't explain. In fact, I've probably already said too much." He reached down and grabbed Orihime by her hands, pulling her up swiftly. "I'm afraid this no longer belongs to you, Ulquiorra."

"What?" Ulquiorra jumped to his feet and leapt at Yumichika but the other Shinigami used Shunpo to move himself and Orihime quickly out of reach. He stared hard at Yumichika and grit his teeth. "What are you doing Ayasegawa? I thought we were friends! Were you just toying with me this entire time!"

"I was just following orders. I'm truly sorry though. I really was starting to like you a bit." Yumichika winked and shrugged before hoisting Orihime over his shoulder.

"Put me down Ayasegawa! What are you doing!" Orihime began banging her fists against Yumichika's back and kicking her legs wildly. "If you don't put me down I'll-"

"My my, we can't have that." Yumichika reached up and with a swift hit to the back of her head, he knocked Orihime unconscious. "So sorry."

"Ayasegawa!" Ulquiorra bolted toward the other Shinigami in fury but once again, Yumichika used Shunpo to avoid him. "Put her down!"

"You're acting so uncharacteristically panicked right now. Tell me, is it because you know you can't defeat me so easily? Are you scared?" Yumichika smiled devilishly at Ulquiorra. "Perhaps you should have spent your days training rather than reading. Then at least you could defend the woman you love."

Ulquiorra clenched his fists and stared hard at Yumichika. "Let her go now."

Yumichika shrugged. "Sorry, I can't. Like I said, I'm just following orders."

"Orders from who?" Ulquiorra started toward Yumichika again but he stopped as he heard a familiar giggle. He whirled around to see Yachiru and Kenpachi standing a good distance behind him. "Captain? Lieutenant?"

Yachiru smiled happily and leapt away from her perch on Kenpachi's back. She ran over to Ulquiorra and grabbed his hand excitedly. "I'm so happy right now Hollow Man! Isn't this exciting?"

Ulquiorra stared down at Yachiru curiously before turning his gaze to Kenpachi. "What's going on?"

"We're taking the woman." Kenpachi stepped toward Ulquiorra with a wide grin. "We have a use for her, unlike you. We'll be taking her away now."

"You can't!" Ulquiorra glanced between Kenpachi and Yachiru before looking straight at Yumichika. He might have been able to fight against Yumichika alone but with Yachiru and Kenpachi he knew he didn't stand a chance. Still, that didn't mean he was going to give up. "I'm not going to let you take her." He lunged and Kenpachi though he knew it was a fruitless battle. He was easily knocked aside by his massive Captain and he could barely breathe as soon as the blow was landed. He fell instantly to the ground, completely defenseless.

"You're in no position to try to stop me. Just go back to reading your books and day dreaming about love because you're never going to see _her_ again." Kenpachi stood beside Yumichika with Yachiru jumping around excitedly close by. He reached out and pulled Orihime's hair pins from her hair and tossed them at his forth seat officer. "There's something to remember her by."

(4) Ulquiorra clutched his stomach where he had been hit and stared with blurring vision at Kenpachi, Yachiru and Yumichika as they disappeared with Orihime. He had no idea what was happening or why. All he knew was that he had to stop them. He crawled as far as he could but he only managed to reach the spot where Orihime's hair pins had landed. He scooped them up in his hand and clutched them tightly. "D-damn it. Damn it!" Pain wracked his entire body as he lay on the ground. Blood was coming up his throat as he tried to breathe. He could barely focus his gaze on the two hair pins in his hand through the tears that were starting to make their way to his eyes. He was drifting in and out of consciousness when he heard shouting in the distance, then everything went black.

...

Ulquiorra groaned as he opened his eyes slowly. His vision was still blurry but he could faintly make out that he was in a cell. He started to make an effort to sit up but he was quickly stopped by a hand slamming down on his chest.

"Where is she, you bastard?" Rangiku said through clenched teeth.

"L-lieutenant Matsumoto!" Hanatarō Yamada blinked in concern at the woman before him. "Please be more gentle! I wouldn't have let you in here if I knew you were going to be so violent with the patient."

"He's not a patient, he's a prisoner!" Rangiku narrowed her eyes down at Ulquiorra and crossed her arms as she began pacing back and forth. "So, where is she?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes trying to remember the last thing that happened to him. He remembered kissing Orihime and lying beside her. He remembered her being close against him and saying she was happy. Then he remembered Yumichika appearing and grabbing Orihime away. He remembered Yachiru and Kenpachi arriving and he remembered trying to fight Kenpachi. He remembered being wounded and watching them leave with Orihime. He remembered grabbing her Shun Shun Rikka. Then blackness. "Where are they!"

"Where are what?" Rangiku asked coldly.

"The hair pins!" Ulquiorra made another effort to sit up only this time it was the smaller Shinigami that was forcing him down.

Hanatarō urged Ulquiorra to lie back. "Please, you shouldn't move so much! You're not fully healed."

Rangiku placed her hands on her hips and loomed over Ulquiorra. "I don't know anything about any hair pins. All I want to know is where she is." She clenched her fists and stared hard at the man. "Ulquiorra, where is Orihime?"

"She..." Ulquiorra bolted up quickly and gripped Rangiku's arm. "I have to get to her! Matsumoto, please!"

Rangiku looked to Ulquiorra curiously. He wasn't acting at all like someone who had kidnapped or killed a person, but then again it all could have been an act. Still, she'd never seen that much emotion on his face before now. "Tell me where she is and I'll go get her for you."

"Zaraki has her. Z-zaraki and Kusajishi and Ayasegawa took her. I don't know why. They..." Ulquiorra winced as pain shot through his stomach. He nearly collapsed but Rangiku managed to catch him before he fell. "P-please."

"What you're saying doesn't make any sense." Rangiku eased Ulquiorra back onto the bed and glared at him. "What point would they have in doing that? You're lying."

"It might be true." Hanatarō looked up at Rangiku worriedly. "I overheard Captain Unohana talking to Captain Ukitake. She said that when she began healing Officer Cifer initially, Captain Zaraki's residual Reiatsu was as thick on his body as Miss Inoue's was. She also said that the wound inflicted on him wasn't consistent with the type of power Miss Inoue has. It could be that this wasn't a defensive wound, but an offensive one." He stared at Rangiku seriously, her emotions clearly wavering as he spoke. "Also, nobody has seen Captain Zaraki or Lieutenant Kusajishi since the incident. I know it would be very convenient to place the blame on Officer Cifer given his history and he's also the one with the greatest motive. However, if you're really determined to get Miss Inoue back then you have to look at the evidence. He didn't do this to himself. He doesn't have enough physical force and it wasn't a Kidō based attack. Miss Inoue didn't do this either; it took someone with enough massive force to cause this kind of wound with just a simple hit. I don't believe he took Miss Inoue."

Rangiku let out a frustrated sigh. "Then what do we do from here?"

"Let me finish healing him." Hanatarō smiled up at Rangiku hopefully. "You should tell the Captains what Officer Cifer said."

"Right." Rangiku turned away from the two before pausing to look back. "Ulquiorra, I hope for your sake and for Orihime's that you're telling the truth."

Hanatarō watched Rangiku walk away before turning his attention back to Ulquiorra. "She's a very intense woman."

"I have to go." Ulquiorra made an effort to stand but he quickly lost his balance and fell back onto the bed. "I have to get to her."

"You're being reckless. Even if you do find her, how are you going to fight? He nearly killed you. If my Captain hadn't begun healing you when she did, you'd probably be dead." Hanatarō forced Ulquiorra to lie down on the bed and continued to heal the man calmly. "It's best to just leave this up to Ichigo Kurosaki. He'll be able to defeat Captain Zaraki without a problem."

"No." Ulquiorra shook his head angrily. "No, I can protect her. I don't want Ichigo Kurosaki involved. I'll lose her for sure that way. I just need to get stronger and I need to find those hair pins."

"Hair pins..." Hanatarō reached into his sleeve and pulled out the two tiny flower shaped hair pins that once adorned Orihime's head. "You mean these?"

Ulquiorra turned his gaze to see Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka in Hanatarō's hand. "Where did you find them?"

"They were in your hand when I came to heal you. You were clenching them so tightly that they left an imprint on your hand. It's faded away now though." Hanatarō handed the hair pins to Ulquiorra hesitantly. "That was yesterday."

"Yesterday? How long have I been in here?" Ulquiorra looked at the hair pins in his hand sadly. "Even a day is too long."

"Since the day of the incident, two days have passed." Hanatarō looked to Ulquiorra nervously. "Surely they wouldn't hurt Miss Inoue, would they?"

"I don't know anything anymore. All I know is that these hair pins are part of her spiritual power and they should react with her Reiatsu. It's my best bet at finding her, and even then the chances are slim. I don't know how close I have to be to get a reaction from them." Ulquiorra grit his teeth as another wave of pain struck him. "How long will it take you to heal me?"

"I could be finished by this evening. But if you keep moving it will take longer." Hanatarō sighed and concentrated on healing the man before him. "After that you'll need to rest for a few days. Hopefully they'll have retrieved Miss Inoue by then and you can put this whole mess behind you."

Ulquiorra reached out and gripped Hanatarō's sleeve. "I told you, I'm going to be the one to save her."

Hanatarō stared down at Ulquiorra in awe. "You really care for her, don't you?"

"She means everything. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even exist. If it wasn't for her I would have never understood what it's like to have a heart and I probably would have faded away into the blackness of my own beliefs. She truly is the sun." Ulquiorra looked to the hair pins once more and smiled sadly. "She is my sun."

"I hope that you can be reunited with her soon." Hanatarō smiled at Ulquiorra. He was pleased to discover that the so called evil Hollow he had heard so many terrible things about was just a regular Shinigami like the rest of them. He brushed his hand over Ulquiorra's eyes in an effort to shut them. "Sleep. Hopefully I'll be done by the time you wake back up. Then you can concentrate on getting Miss Inoue back..."


	9. Diving Down the Hole

San Diego was wonderful as always. What WASN'T wonderful was coming back to find that my laptop had completely died. Done. Kaput. :(

So I had to break into my Las Vegas funds and buy myself a new laptop. Thankfully I was able to transfer all my files over to my new computer which took some time, and that's basically why I haven't uploaded anything for you guys yet this week, I'm sorry.

I'm loving the in depth reviews I'm getting now that things are picking up. Of course, I can't say if you guys are right or wrong but I do love to read the theories! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside! I don't wanna keep you guys waiting for much longer. :3

As for this chapter, and the next couple of chapters, things are fast paced and a lot of ground is covered. Some of my favorite characters make their appearances in this chapter and I'm happy to welcome them to the story. YAY!

Well, let's not mess around anymore. Let's get this chapter started!

4 White Rabbit- Egypt Central

* * *

><p>(4) Ulquiorra sat in his cell staring at the wall across from him. His wound was completely healed but he could feel that his body was still weakened from Kenpachi's attack. After Hanatarō had left he hadn't seen a single familiar face. There was a man that brought him dinner but other than that and a few guards, he hadn't seen anyone. He glanced down in his hand at Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka and grit his teeth. "I have to get out of here and find her."<p>

"That's some dangerous talk." Ikkaku said as he entered the holding area. He approached Ulquiorra's cell and leaned against the bars to look in at his fellow Shinigami. "The guards hear you talking like that and you'll land yourself in some real hot water."

"Madarame!" Ulquiorra stood quickly and walked over to the bars. "Have you heard anything? Am I getting released soon?"

"It doesn't sound like it. The way they make it sound, you're not going anywhere until they get to the bottom of this. Apparently, they've opened an investigation into our squad and the disappearance of the Captain and Lieutenant. Yumichika is gone as well." Ikkaku's eyes narrowed on Ulquiorra. "They really did take her, didn't they?"

"They did. Madarame, I have to save her." Ulquiorra looked at his squad mate seriously. "Get me out of here."

Ikkaku chuckled and shook his head. "Geeze, somehow I knew you were going to say that. I guess it's a good thing I knocked out those guards and brought you this." Ikkaku pulled Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō out from behind his back and handed it to the other Shinigami.

"Murciélago..." Ulquiorra looked over the sword in admiration. It had been six years since he had last held it in his hands. Six years since he had been stripped of the right to bear any sort of weapon. "To hold it in my hand again, it feels-"

"Look, we don't really have time for that." Ikkaku unlocked the cell with a key he had gotten from the guards and motioned for Ulquiorra to follow. "We need to get out of here fast. They had your Zanpakutō locked away so I'm pretty sure I set off an alarm or two when I stole it."

Ulquiorra followed after Ikkaku quickly and out of the prison. There were alarms sounding in the distance and he knew it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for them. "Where will we go? They're bound to find us even in Rukongai!"

"I know." Ikkaku glanced back at Ulquiorra and grinned. "That's why we're going to the world of the living."

"But I don't have a Jigokuchō!" Ulquiorra looked at Ikkaku worriedly but it suddenly dawned upon him that the other man had probably already figured as much. "We're traveling through the Dangai, aren't we?"

"It won't be too bad. Now hurry up! I've got a Senkaimon waiting for us in Rukongai." Ikkaku ran through Seireitei as quickly as he could with Ulquiorra trailing behind him. He could hear more alarms begin to sound and he let out a loud laugh. "Ha! Looks like they found out you're gone too! We'll have to hurry. Can you use Shunpo?"

Ulquiorra shook his head. "They refused to let me learn."

"Then hold on." Ikkaku turned around and yanked Ulquiorra to him. He hoisted the smaller man over his shoulder and used his Shunpo technique to get as far as he could before he got short of breath. He then quickly dropped Ulquiorra to the ground and continued to run. "We're almost there! Come on, keep up."

"H-how far do we have to go?" Ulquiorra pushed himself up and hurried as fast as he could after Ikkaku. His body was still noticeably weak from his wound and he was having a hard time even running. He continued after Ikkaku until they came upon a peculiar looking house. He stared at the house in awe. It was confusing with it's two big arms holding up a big red banner. He'd never seen anything like it before. "Kūkaku Shiba?"

"That's the name of the lady that owns the house. You better humble yourself when you step inside, otherwise she might change her mind." Ikkaku stepped closer to the peculiar house to see Ganju Shiba waiting outside for them. "Ganju, is the Senkaimon ready yet?"

"Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko are stabilizing it right now." Ganju crossed his arms and stared hard at Ikkaku and Ulquiorra. "You're sure that Orihime Inoue is in danger?"

Ikkaku nodded. "We have very little time to train, and even then we might not be able to save her."

"You understand, we're a bit uncomfortable helping out a former Hollow." Ganju turned his eyes to Ulquiorra. "If it was anybody else's life on the line, I doubt we would be helping you. Now hurry inside."

Ulquiorra nodded and followed Ikkaku and Ganju into the house. They hurried down a long set of stairs until they reached an open door at the end of a long hall. He stepped inside with the two men and stared at the Senkaimon which appeared to be a bit unstable. There was a woman inside that he assumed was Kūkaku Shiba.

Kūkaku glanced over her shoulder at Ikkaku and Ulquiorra. "It's about time you got here. I was getting ready to shut this whole operation down." She turned to face the two strangers and advanced on them quickly. "I don't normally do favors for people I don't know and I've never done any favors for a Hollow but my good for nothing brother begged me to help, and since it's for that girl I figured why not. She's a friend of a friend so I at least owe her something, right?" She turned away from them again and stepped toward the unstable gate. "We're not that skilled at opening a Senkaimon as you can see, so I hope you're fast on your feet. You won't have much time to cross through the Dangai."

Ulquiorra nodded to Kūkaku. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, just get going." Kūkaku motioned for the two Shinigami to enter the Senkaimon. "It's as stable as it's going to get."

"Alright, let's go." Ikkaku hoisted Ulquiorra over his shoulder again and stepped through the gate. The Dangai was dark as usual and he knew they had little time to pass through with the Senkaimon being as unstable as it was. He used his Shunpo to close the distance between them and the exit as a loud rumble started behind them. He leapt through the exit gateway and fell to the ground, Ulquiorra flying a few feet away from him. It seemed they had reached the other side just in time before the gateway on Kūkaku's end collapsed with a deafening boom. They landed in the dirt in the dead of night without a single noise around.

Ulquiorra gasped for air as the dust around them began to settle. It was hard to breathe and he felt even weaker than he had minutes earlier. "Where are we?"

Ikkaku stood quickly and dusted himself off. "The world of the living, right where we need to be."

Ulquiorra pushed himself up off the ground and watched as Ikkaku walked over to a vaguely familiar building. He slowly made his way over as Ikkaku knocked on the door loudly. He was about to question Ikkaku's actions when the door slid open and a young woman stared out at them curiously. Ulquiorra recognized the face but from where, he didn't know.

Ururu Tsumugiya stared out into the dark of night at the two men standing before her. She was half asleep and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust but as they did, she recognized one of the faces immediately. "I-ikkaku Madarame? It's been a really long time." She turned her gaze to Ulquiorra and squinted in the dim light from the moon. The face looked familiar to her but she couldn't place it until she remembered back to the events of one particular night over ten years ago. "You're that Hollow!" She instinctively clenched her fists and stepped outside, prepared to fight against the man if need be. "What do you want?"

"Relax Ururu. He's not a Hollow anymore." Ikkaku stepped between Ulquiorra and Ururu but it was more to protect the Shinigami from the young woman rather than the other way around. "We need Urahara's help."

Ururu glared past Ikkaku at Ulquiorra. It was true that the man's Reiatsu was no longer that of a Hollow but that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous. She looked back at Ikkaku calmly and unclenched her fists. "Kisuke is out right now. He and Tessai had some business to attend to."

"Figures." Ikkaku scoffed and crossed his arms. "Look Ururu, we just need use of the underground facility. It's important. Orihime Inoue has been kidnapped and Ulquiorra has to get strong enough to retrieve her."

"Miss Inoue?" Ururu looked to Ikkaku worriedly. "What happened?"

"We can't go into details right now. If we have time, I can explain it to you later. Can we use the facility or not?" Ikkaku stared at Ururu quietly. It was clear that she was conflicted about helping Orihime and about letting Ulquiorra into she shop and Ikkaku couldn't blame her. Still, if she denied them they'd have to wait for Kisuke Urahara to return from whatever trip he was on and that could take days that they just didn't have to spare. "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important."

"A-alright." Ururu stepped aside to allow Ikkaku and Ulquiorra into the shop. "I'll open up the basement for you."

"Ururu..." Ikkaku looked to the young woman seriously. "It's also likely that we'll be needing your help with training, at least at first. Ulquiorra has been deprived of his Zanpakutō and any legitimate battle training for six years. We need to work him up to a level where he can fight against our Captain."

"Against a Captain?" Ururu let out a sigh. "We have to get him up to a level where he can use his Bankai and you bring him here so weak?" She shook her head in disbelief and walked away from the two calmly. "I'll go wake Jinta, but he won't be happy about it."

...

Orihime moaned softly as daylight reached her eyelids. She opened her eyes slowly and squinted in the bright light to see around her but her vision was initially blurry.

"Good morning, Inoue." Yumichika smiled at the woman as she sat up and began rubbing her eyes. "My apologies ahead of time for this atrocious setting."

"Ayasegawa!" Orihime looked at her surroundings and quickly noticed that she was in a cave. Her head ached and she felt as though she had been sleeping for weeks. Her memories soon came flooding back to her and she remembered that Yumichika had grabbed her and taken her away from Ulquiorra. She backed away from him instinctively and scowled. "Where are we? Why did you bring me here?"

"I had to make due with what I could, but don't worry. I'm hoping to find a place more suitable to keep a princess very soon." Yumichika winked and stood slowly. "You should eat. Your body hasn't had any nutrients since I took you. You'll waste away at this rate."

Orihime stared at Yumichika as he offered an apple in her direction. She drew back from him even further and averted her gaze. "I don't want it."

Yumichika chuckled and continued to offer the apple in the woman's direction. "Come now, you can't keep acting like that. You have to eat. If you die there will be no point in Ulquiorra coming to rescue you."

Orihime's eyes shot to Yumichika in anger. "What do you mean?"

"Oh my, I think I've said too much." Yumichika sighed and sat back down. "You'll see what I mean soon enough."

...

"Pathetic!" Ikkaku growled as he watched Ulquiorra fly through the air from a simple kick by Jinta Hanakari. The fiery young boy had grown to be an equally as fiery young man and his attack force had tripled since he had aged. Even so, he wasn't using any weapons and he was still making quick work of Ulquiorra with just his fists and his feet. "Come on! How do you expect to fight against the Captain when you can't even fight against a human!"

Ulquiorra heaved for air as he managed to stand on shaky limbs. His body had not completely recovered from his previous wound and the Reishi in the world of the living was so shallow that it was hard for him to even function. He wouldn't make excuses however. There would be no point and Ikkaku would just dismiss them anyway. He watched as the red haired boy rushed at him again and this time he was determined to block the attack. He raised up his arm to block Jinta's punch but his arm became so heavy that it dropped before he could even block the attack. He took a hit to the face and it knocked him to the ground.

"How are you supposed to hold up your Zanpakutō when you can't even hold up your own arm!" Ikkaku screamed.

"Madarame, it's been seven hours." Ururu approached the Shinigami calmly and sat beside him. "Don't you think he deserves a break?"

"He can rest when he's dead!" Ikkaku cupped his hands over his mouth to shout at Ulquiorra. "You hear me? You can rest when you're dead, now defend yourself!"

Ururu sighed sadly. "But the breakfast I made will go to waste."

Ikkaku glanced at Ururu out of the corner of his eye. "Breakfast, huh? Alright." He stood and cupped his hands back over his mouth. "Ulquiorra, be grateful! Ururu made your sorry ass some breakfast! Ordinarily I'd say you'd have to earn it but I know that won't happen and I don't want to hurt her feelings! Come get some!"

Ulquiorra laid on the ground in pain as Ikkaku's words reached him. He barely had the energy to move but he was starving and he knew he had to eat. He stood slowly and managed his way over to the ladder where he mustered up just enough strength to reach the top before he collapsed to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Ururu knelt down beside Ulquiorra and stared at him worriedly. "Madarame is working you to the bone and you were already in a weakened state. Here, let me help you to the table and you can eat." She pulled Ulquiorra's arm up over her shoulder and supported his weight long enough to make it to the dining area where she propped him up at the table. "Do you need help eating?"

"You're that girl." Ulquiorra stared at Ururu calmly. "I recognized your face but I couldn't remember where I had seen it. That night I had come to investigate the remnants of Orihime's spiritual power, you were there and the red haired boy too. I didn't mean to frighten you, I'm sorry."

Ururu smiled and shook her head. "That was a long time ago. Just eat up. You've got to try to regain some form of strength if you're planning on fighting against me. Jinta may be going a bit easy on you but I won't."

Ulquiorra nodded slowly and brought his arm atop the table. He managed to reach for his plate before he lost consciousness and fell backward to the floor with a thud.

"What the hell was that!" Ikkaku shouted as he stepped into the room. He noticed Ulquiorra unconscious on the floor and grunted. "What is he doing?"

"You pushed him too hard. He's still wounded." Ururu sighed and stood. "I have a bed prepared for him. I knew it was only a matter of time before he dropped." She grabbed Ulquiorra by his feet and began dragging him. As she did so, she noticed something small and shiny fall out of his hand. She knelt to the ground and picked up Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka and examined them curiously. "Miss Inoue's hair pins. How did he get them?"

"Who knows? She probably gave them to him for some stupid girly reason." Ikkaku scoffed and started over to the table. "Anyway, I'm going to eat breakfast. Try to make sure he's awake soon."

Ururu sighed and nodded slowly. She continued to drag Ulquiorra until she was able to put him in the bed she had prepared. She placed the hair pins in her pocket and started back toward the table when she heard the sound of Kisuke's voice. She smiled as she rounded the corner and saw both Kisuke and Tessai standing in the doorway. "Kisuke! Tessai! Welcome back! We have-"

"Visitors, I see." Kisuke smiled and patted Ururu's head as he approached her. "Madarame and... another Reiatsu. It's familiar yet it isn't and it's very weak. Who is our other guest?"

"His name is Ulquiorra." Ikkaku said quickly. "He used to be a Hollow, he isn't anymore. We need your help training him." He turned a serious gaze to Kisuke. "Orihime Inoue has been kidnapped by Zaraki Kenpachi."

"I see." Kisuke turned his attention to Tessai and smiled. "Will you heal the good for nothing Hollow and get him out of my shop?"

"Kisuke, wait!" Ururu pulled out the two hair pins and held them out for her boss to see. "These are Miss Inoue's. He was clinging to them with all his strength, even while fighting Jinta. To him, it was more important to protect these hair pins than it was to protect his already weakened body."

"I don't care." Kisuke waved Ururu away and crossed his arms. "Let Ichigo handle it, it's his job to protect his friends anyway."

"That won't do for him." Ikkaku shook his head and chuckled. "He's in love with Inoue or something and he feels threatened by Ichigo. Besides, you'd be doing me a favor. I'm kinda the one that stole his Zanpakutō from lock up and broke him out of jail meaning it'll be my ass on the frying pan if we go back empty handed."

"What a burden." Kisuke sighed and shook his head. "Fine, fine. I'll let you train him here but I expect you to do some work around the shop, at least until you're needed for his training."

"I understand." Ikkaku nodded to Kisuke. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means."

...

"Are you feeling better now?" Ururu asked as she knelt beside Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra sat up in the bed and clenched the blanket that was covering him. "Where am I?"

"You're still in Urahara Shop. You collapsed so I had to put you in bed." Ururu sat down the tray she had brought for the Shinigami and motioned to it. "You should eat."

"I need to get back to training!" Ulquiorra made a motion to stand but the young woman put her hand on his chest and forced him back down. "Please! I've lost valuable time already."

Ururu shook her head and nudged the tray of food forward. "You should eat."

Ulquiorra stared at the girl quietly and shook his head. "I'm not hungry. I have to-" A loud gurgling interrupted from him and he realized with embarrassment that the noise had come from his stomach. Without another word he took the tray into his lap and began eating calmly.

"Tessai healed you while you were sleeping so you should be better now. You're not at one hundred percent but you should be good enough to take on Jinta now." Ururu stared at Ulquiorra before moving the hair that was hanging over her shoulder. The action revealed Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka which she had stuck on the breast pocket of her shirt. "It also seems that these were protecting you from receiving maximum damage while you were training with Jinta. It makes sense considering they are the realization of Miss Inoue's will. It seems her will is to protect you."

Ulquiorra's eyes darted to the hair pins and he reached out for them. "Give them to me."

Ururu jumped up and flipped out of Ulquiorra's reach. "No. Using them is cheating. Besides that, they should be your motivation. I won't give them back to you until you are able to defeat me."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed on Ururu dangerously. "You don't seem to understand. Those are the only chance I have at finding her."

"That's not true. These hair pins may resonate with Miss Inoue's Reiatsu but you'll be able to find her without them soon enough. Your hearts are connected and in that way you'll always have a link to her. Your heart will resonate with hers more so than these hair pins." Ururu smiled and placed her hand over the pins. "But don't worry, I'll still take very good care of them."

"Th-thank you." Ulquiorra bowed his head to the young woman before turning his eyes back to his food. "For everything. You've been very helpful to us when I could tell that you didn't necessarily want to be. I know you're doing it for Orihime, but I still want to thank you."

Ururu nodded. "You should drink your coffee. You'll need as much energy as you can get because you're going to be training for a long time on minimal sleep."

Ulquiorra looked to the tray in curiosity and picked up the cup that was sitting on it. He examined the fluid inside, dark and hot. He sniffed it and it had an intriguing scent so he took a sip. His eyes widened before flying to Ururu. "What is this called, again?"

"Coffee." Ururu smiled. "It's terrible and bitter, I know, but it will help you."

"Actually, it's quite pleasant." Ulquiorra brought the cup back to his lips and continued to drink until the liquid was nearly gone. He finished his meal and then quickly finished the rest of the coffee and stood. "I'm ready to continue training."

"Alright." Ururu smiled and opened the door for Ulquiorra. "I'll make a fresh pot of coffee for you soon."

Ulquiorra nodded. "Thank you."

"About damn time! Geeze!" Ikkaku grabbed Ulquiorra by a clump of his hair as soon as he saw him and dragged the other man back to the underground facility. He threw the Shinigami at Kisuke's feet and grumbled. "Beg Urahara's forgiveness for showing up here and expecting so much help and then beg Tsukabishi's forgiveness for being so weak and needing to be healed."

Ulquiorra bowed his head and kept his eyes downcast. "Forgive me, both of you. I wouldn't have come if it wasn't a matter of extreme importance. I assume that Madarame explained this situation so all that I'll ask is that you continue to help me as much as you can and eventually I'll find some way to repay you."

Kisuke looked down at Ulquiorra in interest. He recognized him immediately as soon as he saw his face but he could scarcely believe that this was the same Hollow from all those years ago. _"So he's the one in love with Inoue. Very interesting."_ He shrugged and motioned over to Jinta. "Jinta has been waiting to continue the training. As for repaying me, we'll just see how much progress you make before you worry about that."

"Alright." Ulquiorra nodded and then stood to face Jinta. "I'm ready when you are."

Jinta grinned widely at the Shinigami before him and doubled up his fists. "I'm glad you got rid of those annoying hair pins. Now my attacks can actually do some damage."

"You'll have to land them first." Ulquiorra fell into a battle stance and prepared for Jinta's first attack. The young man bolted toward him with a kick but Ulquiorra found it much easier to dodge this time. His strength was nowhere near the level it was in Soul Society but it was no longer weak either. His speed and agility had also increased and it was all thanks to being healed and getting a bit of food in his body. The feelings of despair that he had felt when he first fought against Jinta were now replaced with feelings of hope. When the red head lunged at him again he was able to not only dodge the boy's punch but counter it with a swipe of his own. His fist didn't make contact but he was pleased enough that he was able to react so quickly. His satisfaction was short lived however as Jinta spun around with a second attack. It caught him off guard and knocked him a few feet away but he didn't fly as far as he had been before.

"Don't get cocky just because you got your strength back! You've still got a long way to go!" Ikkaku growled and narrowed his gaze on Ulquiorra. "And don't think for a second that you're anywhere close to being able to land a punch on that kid! He let his guard down once because he was fighting a wimp like you but you won't be so lucky to have it happen again! Now I wanna see you put forth an effort or we might as well call it quits and let Ichigo take care of it all!"

Ulquiorra felt anger filling up inside of him at the idea of Ichigo saving Orihime. The image of Orihime kissing Ichigo flashed through his mind and he scowled in fury. "That's not going to happen." He rushed at Jinta with his fists ready and swung violently at the young man. Jinta was able to dodge the attacks but it was clear to Ulquiorra that he had him on the defensive.

"Damn bastard!" Jinta continued to dodge Ulquiorra's punches but the other man was relentless. He knew if he kept dodging that he would eventually lose stamina and possibly lose the fight and that was never an option for him. On the next punch that Ulquiorra threw, Jinta blocked it and countered it with a kick at the Shinigami's stomach but he was surprised to find that it was blocked by his opponent's hand. Jinta grit his teeth in irritation and began swinging back at Ulquiorra hoping to at least turn the tables.

"That's an interesting strategy you have there." Kisuke said as he stepped up behind Ikkaku. "You threaten him with the one person that could probably help him the most. You're going to build feelings of animosity."

"The feelings of animosity are already there. I'm just using it to my advantage." Ikkaku glanced up at Kisuke and grinned. "The outcome is the only thing I'm interested in. The road we take to get there can be paved with as much hatred and animosity as he can stand for all I care. As long as the job gets done, that's all that matters."

"I see." Kisuke smiled down at Ikkaku. "So I wonder Madarame, what do you gain from all this?"

Ikkaku returned his eyes to the fight before him and smirked. "Satisfaction."

...

"Renji!" Rukia rushed up to her long time friend in a panic. "I'm glad you're back!"

"Hey, Rukia!" Renji smiled and began to wave to Rukia. When he noticed a look of concern on her face, his hand dropped instantly to his side. "What's the matter?"

"It's a really long story." Rukia stopped in front of Renji and stared at him seriously. "A lot of us are preparing to be sent out. I know you just got back but could you go back out with the rest of us?"

Renji looked down at Rukia curiously. "Rukia, what happened?"

"Orihime Inoue died while we were out on our missions." Rukia looked to Renji sadly. "She came here to Soul Society and she was even accepted to the academy but the Hollow..." Rukia's look of sorrow quickly turned to a scowl and she clenched her fists. "He had a chance encounter with her and from that moment on he wouldn't leave her alone. Every chance he got, he was near her. The Captain Commander and Central 46 decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to keep the two separated. We don't know what his goals are or why he needs Inoue to accomplish them, but we couldn't allow it to happen. Then just a few nights ago, Inoue went missing. The Hollow was found unconscious at Sōkyoku Hill that same night. They questioned him and he claimed that Captain Zaraki, Lieutenant Kusajishi and fifth seat officer Ayasegawa had kidnapped her. Strangely enough, all three of them had also been missing since Inoue's disappearance. To make matters worse, last night the Hollow's Zanpakutō was stolen from where it had been sealed away and he has since escaped prison. Third seat officer Madarame has also been missing since last night."

"If you're thinking that Ikkaku helped him escape then forget about it. No way in hell he'd help that bastard out after what he did to Inoue." Renji crossed his arms in thought. "I'm willing to bet that the Hollow acted on his own and Captain Zaraki and the others were just trying to prevent him. It doesn't make any sense that they would kidnap Inoue, unless they did it to keep her safe from him."

"A handful of Lieutenants are being sent out. Captain Ukitake wanted me to go because he feels I know Inoue the best and he wanted me to ask you if you would accompany the rest of us if you got back in time." Rukia looked up at Renji pleadingly. "Will you help us, Renji?"

"Let me guess, Rangiku is going too." Renji let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "What a pain, but alright. I'll go. Who else are we working with?"

"Lieutenant Hisagi and Lieutenant Kira. Captain Hitsugaya is going to head up the team." Rukia smiled up and Renji gratefully. "Thank you for helping us."

"Of course. Inoue is a friend." Renji wrapped an arm around Rukia's head and gave her a noogie. "Now let's go save her!"


	10. Face All the Pain and Take it On

Moving right along. :3

This four day weekend has given me plenty of time to write. Dare I say, we could be done with this story by Christmas!

Also, I'd like to point out before anybody comments on it that YES, I do have Jinta using hand to hand combat despite that it isn't his fighting style. I will also be having Ururu using a sword despite that her style is hand to hand. The reasoning for that is this: they are training Ulquiorra, not trying to kill him. They're badass little kids in the current timeline and I can only imagine that strength and pure badassity continued on with them into adulthood. If they were fighting Ulquiorra in their element, no doubt about it... they would crush him. But crushing him is not their purpose. Therefore, they're fighting him with methods they aren't used to using (and giving him a good row if I might add). I hope I cleared up any possible confusion there.

Somebody commented that they don't think Orihime is in love with Ulquiorra and that she only feels pity for him. Uhm, I don't even know what to say to that so I'm just gonna...

Next topic.

If you're missing Orihime, don't worry. She'll be getting more story time soon, as well as Yumichika of course. X3

Then of course there's Ichigo...

4 The Only Hope for me is You- My Chemical Romance

* * *

><p>"You know, it's really not good for him to have that much coffee. Don't you think ten cups is enough?" Kisuke said as Ururu approached with a pot full of the steaming black liquid.<p>

"He really likes it. Besides, how else is he going to stay awake? He doesn't have the luxury of sleeping and even if he did, he wouldn't." Ururu took a seat beside Kisuke and sighed as she watched the fight before her. "It won't matter soon anyway. He's almost got Jinta beat. He's excelling faster than I thought."

"You'll have to fight him next." Kisuke glanced at Ururu curiously. "Are you nervous?"

"No." Ururu shook her head. "I just don't want to have to hurt him."

"You shouldn't be so endeared to him. He's done some terrible things in the past." Kisuke smiled to himself knowing his words of warning wouldn't matter. Ururu was already fond of the former Espada.

"But he loves Miss Inoue in the present. You of all people should know that a person's past isn't always a good indication of their future." Ururu glanced at Kisuke and smiled. "What's important is that we're helping Miss Inoue. Hollow or not, it doesn't matter as long as she is saved."

"I still say we should have let Ichigo take care of it." Kisuke shrugged and continued to watch Ulquiorra and Jinta in interest. The fight would be over soon. They were both physically exhausted but Jinta was starting to falter more. Ulquiorra had indeed improved greatly. His speed and attack power had increased ten fold and he was landing a lot more blows on Jinta. What's more, those hits were actually dealing a sufficient amount of damage. Kisuke watched as Ulquiorra evaded another of Jinta's kicks, landing a blow on the young man's back as he did so. The strike sent Jinta flying into the ground with Ulquiorra chasing quickly after. "He's already managed to learn Shunpo on his own, just by necessity. He's ready. Ururu, go get the wooden swords."

"Okay." Ururu stood quickly and rushed off to find the weapons that had been placed in storage.

"Jinta! Hollow! That's enough!" Kisuke called to the two still fighting. "It's time to switch places!"

Ulquiorra stopped mid-punch and turned to face Kisuke. He reached down and grabbed Jinta's arm to help him up despite the young man's protest. He then started over to where Kisuke sat and looked down at the shop owner quietly. "Switch places? Already?"

"You shouldn't have called it off!" Jinta shouted as he came running up. "I was just about to make a come back and kick his ass!"

"Well unfortunately you're no good to me if you're in bad shape and it's time for you to start helping in the shop again. Madarame is currently but I have a feeling that he won't interact well if we get any customers." Kisuke smiled and motioned for Jinta to leave. "Go take over and send Madarame down here. He needs to see the next fight."

"Fine! Whatever!" Jinta growled and glared at Ulquiorra. "The fight isn't over Hollow. Don't think that it's over by a long shot."

Ulquiorra watched Jinta leave before he took a seat a few feet from Kisuke. "May I have some of this coffee?"

Kisuke nodded. "Ururu made the whole pot especially for you." He glanced at Ulquiorra curiously. "Tell me, why is it that you have to train? Why not allow Ichigo to handle this situation? He's already more than strong enough to take on Zaraki Kenpachi and I'm sure he'd be all too willing. Is the pain really worth your pride if something happens to Inoue in the time that you're training?"

Ulquiorra froze in the middle of sipping his coffee and stared at the ground. "I'd be lying if I said I had considered that. The truth is, that thought had never even crossed my mind. It's so unlike me to not weigh all options before deciding on a course of action." He looked down at his hand calmly. "It seems everyday I'm starting to understand what having a heart is like more and more." He returned his gaze to Kisuke and smiled sadly. "She did that, you know. She gave me a heart whether I wanted one or not. Slowly but surely I've been learning and understanding about having a heart. It's what has given me this odd thing you call pride. You ask me if the pain I would feel would be worth the pride that I have if something bad happened to Orihime. The answer is no."

Kisuke nodded in understanding. "So will you continue, even after this realization?"

"I must." Ulquiorra clenched his fist tightly. "This is more than pride. This is more than how I feel about Ichigo Kurosaki. So much is at stake here. Everyone in the Gotei 13 distrusts me with the exception of Madarame. Everyone thinks that I was responsible for Orihime's disappearance. Now is my chance to prove myself to them. Not just that I'm innocent but that I would never let any harm come to her. To prove to them all that I do love her and that I will keep her safe. Fighting to save Orihime means nothing if I have to continue to fight just to be near her."

"You say you love her but she's only been in Soul Society for a little under a month." Kisuke looked to Ulquiorra skeptically. "How can love grow that fast?"

"I don't know much about love. I've read that it can happen the instant you meet a person. Love at first sight is what Ayasegawa called it, but it wasn't like that for me. I initially viewed Orihime as a weak piece of trash that needed to be disposed of. When I think back on that day I feel nauseous. If Yammy had managed to..." Ulquiorra trailed off and shook his head. He didn't want to think about how things would have been without Orihime. "But Aizen took an interest in her abilities and he sent me out to capture her and subsequently placed me in charge of her care. In that time I got to know her very well. She may have been physically weak but her will was stronger than anything I had ever seen. It was odd to me, living my life on the idea that things only existed if they were tangible and viewable yet I did recognize that heart of hers. I even tried to break it down, to make her see the world the way I did. A place void of any real purpose or meaning."

Kisuke mused to himself and smiled. "She sure showed you, didn't she?"

"She did." Ulquiorra smiled as he thought back on his time with Orihime in Hueco Mundo. "She never feared me, she even slapped me once. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to pull her into despair, she was there trying to pull me out. I wanted so badly for her to see that there was no hope. Hope was just an illusion that humans gave themselves to avoid misery. But each and every time I tried she just kept proving me wrong. I grew fond of her. I took an interest in her ability to be so optimistic in her situation. I wanted to understand and I wanted her to teach me. I didn't want to let her go, even after she was no longer of any use to us. I think if I could have, I would have kept her in Hueco Mundo with me forever. I didn't know what love was back then but I think I might have felt it for her even then. While I was training to become a Shinigami I thought a lot about her. I tried to think about what I would say to her if I ever saw her again. I thought about telling her how much she had impacted me."

"And now she's been kidnapped. You don't know where she is or why she was taken. Now you know what it was like for us when we heard that she had been taken by you." Kisuke smiled. "Isn't it funny how fate works?"

Ulquiorra stared hard at Kisuke. "I don't find it funny."

"Of course you don't." Kisuke continued to smile as Ikkaku and Ururu approached. "All ready?"

Ururu held out the wooden swords for Kisuke to see and nodded. She handed one to Ulquiorra and bowed quickly. "Are you ready, Mr. Cifer?"

Ulquiorra stared up at Ururu curiously but before he could answer her she raised her sword high and swung at him. He barely managed to dodge the blow and jumped away from her quickly.

Ikkaku watched Ulquiorra and Ururu in interest for a minute before turning his eyes to Kisuke. "What did you want me down here for? He hasn't made enough progress to need me for training."

"No but I thought you ought to sit and watch his training with Ururu. I expect him to advance quickly here. You said he hasn't had any combat training with a sword since he was in the academy." Kisuke watched Ulquiorra calmly. "It may have been six years since he's held a sword in his hand but it's like instinct. You never forget. It isn't his swordplay that we're training him for right now. It's his endurance that he really needs to work on. My guess is that as an Espada, he never had any particularly long fights. If my memory serves me correctly, he was ranked number four meaning he was fairly strong. I doubt he came upon an opponent that could keep him engaged in a battle for more than ten minutes, until Ichigo that is. I noticed that with his fight with Jinta, he would start to become worn down until he had a break and had some coffee. It perked him right back up of course but..." Kisuke grinned and poured out the remaining coffee that was in the coffee pot. "Ururu won't be on the sidelines with a pot of coffee for him when he fights Zaraki and I doubt he'll be able to have a break."

Ikkaku nodded and returned his gaze to Ulquiorra. "I see. So I get to be the hard ass that tells him he can't have a break until he beats Ururu. Well alright, I've got no problem with that." He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted to Ulquiorra. "No more breaks Ulquiorra! Not until you've managed to beat Ururu to a bloody pulp!"

Ulquiorra glanced at Ikkaku as he blocked one of Ururu's attacks. "I'm not going to hurt her!"

"Mr. Cifer..." Ururu gripped her sword and swung at Ulquiorra, hitting him in his stomach while he was distracted. "Please take this fight seriously. Don't hold back and don't take your eyes off me. Otherwise I might kill you."

Ulquiorra winced in pain at Ururu's blow. He stared at the young woman in awe but the kind face he had come to know was gone and instead he found a determined and even frightening glare directed at him. He held up his sword to block another attack from her taking note that the swing was much more powerful than the last. He dodged yet another strike and managed to get a small amount of distance between himself and Ururu.

"You'd better be ready to hit me." Ururu said calmly. "You can't win this fight if you aren't at least willing to hurt me."

Ulquiorra dodged another swing from the young woman and gripped the wooden sword in his hand tightly. He knew that being struck with the sword was painful but at the same time, it wasn't a lethal blow. He also knew he couldn't get any stronger if he didn't train to the best of his ability, he just wished it didn't involve hurting a person who had done nothing but show him kindness. He swung his sword at Ururu's middle but she blocked it with her own sword.

"Well at least you're willing to hit me. Now you have to actually do it." Ururu jabbed her sword forward, hitting Ulquiorra in the ribs. She took note of the pain on his face and it saddened her to hurt him but she knew he wouldn't improve if she didn't go at him with everything she had.

Ulquiorra grit his teeth and grasped his side where Ururu had hit him. The jab had been far more painful than the hit to his stomach. He realized that she wasn't going to be holding back. He couldn't either. He rushed toward her with his sword ready and swung with all his strength hoping to make contact with her body.

...

"What do you mean!" Ichigo shouted as he grabbed Renji by his collar.

"I mean exactly what I said." Renji replied in irritation. "Inoue has gone missing from Soul Society. So has the Hollow. We've been sent here to find them and retrieve them."

"How could this happen! She was supposed to be under close watch!" Ichigo released his hold on Renji and grit his teeth. "You said she disappeared four days ago, why are you just telling me now? And why are you standing here when you should be out looking for her!"

"Ichigo!" Rukia stepped between Renji and Ichigo and stared hard at her friend. "Believe me, this situation is being handled with the utmost care possible. Finding Inoue is our top priority. Nothing else matters. This is just as important to us as it is to you. Otherwise we wouldn't even be here telling you about it. Informing you of this situation was not on the list of priorities but we've hit a deadlock. We can't find a trace of Inoue's Reiatsu anywhere. We can't find the Hollow's either. Hisagi and Kira were sent into Hueco Mundo to investigate and they came back empty handed. We don't know where he's taken her but we know it's here in the world of the living somewhere. We were able to faintly detect her Reiatsu until a day ago. Then it suddenly vanished without a trace and we're at square one again."

Ichigo stared at Rukia and clenched his fists. "That bastard! I warned her... I told her to stay away from him. I told her she couldn't trust him! Sh-she told me to leave and I should have stayed. If I had stayed-"

"Don't do that Ichigo. You are no more at fault for this than the rest of us. Inoue should have had a guard on her at all times." Renji glanced to Rukia before turning his attention back to Ichigo. "There's something else."

Rukia nodded. "After Inoue disappeared, they found the Hollow laying unconscious at Sōkyoku Hill. He was apprehended and brought to a holding cell where his injuries were treated. Hanatarō Yamada and Rangiku Matsumoto were present when he regained consciousness. According to both of their reports he was distraught and frantic. He claimed that his Captain and Lieutenant along with Yumichika Ayasegawa were the ones who had taken Inoue."

"What? That doesn't make any sense!" Ichigo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would they have anything to do with Inoue at all?"

"That was our first thought also. Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi wouldn't have any business with Inoue." Renji said calmly.

"Still, we can't ignore that the three of them have been unaccounted for since Inoue's disappearance. Matsumoto and Hanatarō also said that they were strongly convinced by the Hollow's reaction to Inoue's disappearance. There is a slight possibility that the members of the eleventh division are somehow involved. Ikkaku Madarame has also been missing since the Hollow's disappearance." Rukia looked at Renji. "There's some debate as to whether or not he helped the Hollow escape but that is also being looked into."

"So basically you're saying you have no idea who took Inoue, why they did so or where they took her." Ichigo growled in frustration. "I just got done promising Tatsuki that Inoue would be fine! I looked her straight in the eyes and I told her that Inoue would be safe and protected in Soul Society."

"And she will be once we bring her back." Rukia reached out and gripped Ichigo's shoulder. "Ichigo, you have to believe that she's alright. He'd have no reason to kill her. It doesn't benefit him at all to do her any harm. Whatever his motive is, we'll expose it and we'll get Inoue back safe and sound."

"When I get my hands on him... I'll kill him." Ichigo brushed past Rukia and Renji and started out the front door of his apartment. "I'm going to Urahara's. Maybe he'll have some sort of device that will help us find Inoue's Reiatsu, even if it's being hidden. You should continue to look for Inoue in your own way."

...

"It's dark." Orihime said quietly to herself.

Yumichika snickered. "So you just now noticed?"

Orihime glared over at Yumichika and pulled her legs up against her chest. "It was night when you brought me this deep. It was dark then but it must be day by now. It's still just as dark as before. What was the point of bringing me so deep into this cave that we can barely see?"

"The minerals in this cave block out all Reiatsu. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed. You can't feel any outside Reiatsu and the reverse is also true. Nobody outside can sense your Reiatsu when we're this deep in the cave. Nobody who may come looking for you will find you, until it's convenient for them to of course." Yumichika smiled calmly. "It's just all part of the plan, but they _are_ running a bit late."

"Who is running late? And what good does it do to kidnap me if you're just going to let me be found when it's convenient for me to be found?" Orihime clenched her fists and stared hard at Yumichika. "What are you planning?"

"Now, it wouldn't be very fun if I told you everything. All you need to know is that I'm waiting on Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra Cifer to try to come rescue you." Yumichika put his finger to his lips in thought. "I wonder who will get here first. If it's Ichigo, that might change a few things."

"Your plan isn't going to work! I'm sure Ulquiorra is sitting in prison right now being unjustly accused in my disappearance. You're waiting for him to come rescue me and he's waiting for me to be found! And Kurosaki isn't coming either. I told him I want nothing to do with him anymore and that he needed to live his life without me in it. He won't come either so your plan has already failed." Orihime smiled widely. "What now, Ayasegawa?"

Yumichika chuckled and shook his head. "If you truly believe that Ichigo would abandon you just because you told him to then you're not as smart as I gave you credit for. And as for Ulquiorra... if you think he'd let being thrown in a cell stand in his way of getting to you, I really feel sorry for him. You have no faith in him at all."

Orihime scowled at Yumichika angrily. "What do you mean? Of course I have faith in him but he isn't so reckless that he-"

"That he would what? Come to rescue the woman he loves? The very woman he credits for his existence?" Yumichika laughed softly. "Don't be stupid. Of course he's coming to save you. He's in love with you."

...

Jinta yawned as he swept up a spot in the shop that he was sure he'd swept over a thousand times by now. It was boring being up in the shop while there was something much more interesting going on down below but he couldn't budge for fear that Tessai would punish him for leaving his post. He was about to beg Kisuke to let him switch places with Ururu. He was much better than her at swordplay after all, but the sound of someone approaching shot the idea down quickly. He watched in slight horror as Ichigo entered the shop looking less than pleased. He knew he couldn't let Ichigo down into the basement so he had to keep the man occupied upstairs. "H-hey Ichigo! It's been a while. How's Yuzu?"

Ichigo stared at Jinta irritably. "I need to talk to Urahara. That's what I came here for anyway, but the closer I got..." He clenched his fists and looked over to the basement entrance. "I'm not wrong, am I? He's here."

"Ichigo, don't be reckless!" Jinta managed to stammer out but it was too late. Ichigo was already out of his body and bolting down into the underground facility.

Ichigo took in the sight before him as he leapt down into the basement. He saw Ikkaku and Kisuke sitting near the ladder and in the distance he could see Ururu fighting with Ulquiorra. Anger filled him as his feet touched the ground.

"Ichigo!" Ikkaku glanced over his shoulder as he felt Ichigo's Reiatsu flaring up behind him. "What are y-" Before he could finish his sentence, Ichigo blew past him headed straight for Ulquiorra. "Shit." Ikkaku grit his teeth and grabbed for Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō, thankful he had left it only a few feet away. He started toward the other Shinigami but Kisuke blocked him with his arm and held him back.

"Just wait. Let's see how this plays out. If you give Ulquiorra his Zanpakutō now, there's no doubt about it. He'll try to fight Ichigo and he's just not ready yet. If he's unarmed, maybe things can be settled a bit more peacefully." Kisuke smiled to himself and watched Ichigo rush toward the former Espada.

(4) Ulquiorra had been concentrating hard on his fight with Ururu. They had been sparring for five hours and he had finally been able to land a few blows on her. He found that if he devoted all of his attention to the fight he was more capable of holding his own against the young woman so it took him completely by surprise when somebody else slammed into him and forced him into the ground. Ulquiorra looked up in confusion to see Ichigo above him with Zangetsu pressed dangerously close to his throat. He glared up at the other man and used his wooden sword to push the Zanpakutō away from his neck. "Get off of me!"

"Where is she, you bastard?" Ichigo forced Zangetsu back down against Ulquiorra's throat. "Tell me."

"I assume you're talking about Orihime." Ulquiorra stared up at Ichigo angrily. "I have no answer. Your guess is as good as mine because I don't know. My Captain took her with the aid of-"

"Bullshit." Ichigo's gaze narrowed on Ulquiorra and he put more pressure on the blade. "Why would Kenpachi take her?"

"It wasn't as though they told me their reasoning." Ulquiorra continued to push Ichigo's sword away and he was finally able to get it far enough away that he could knock Ichigo off of him. He pushed the other man back and regained his footing angrily. "You don't need to concern yourself in this. Return home and leave her rescue to me."

"Like hell I will!" Ichigo gripped his Zanpakutō tightly and stared at Ulquiorra. "Even if I did believe you, which I don't, it's my job to protect Inoue."

"Not anymore." Ulquiorra dusted himself off and glared at Ichigo. "She doesn't exist in the world of the living anymore. She's a resident of Soul Society and as a Shinigami, it's my duty to protect Soul Society and its citizens. You no longer have any place in her life. I'll protect her. I'll rescue her."

Ichigo scoffed and crossed his arms. "This is all just an act. This is just a ploy to gain our trust so you can cover up the fact that you really know where Inoue is. You think I'm stupid enough to fall for it?"

"I think you're stupid, yes. But this isn't an act. Don't you think that if I was the one that took Orihime, I would be there with her? What would it benefit me to try and gain the trust of those who will never trust me? If I had some purpose for taking her, why wouldn't I just accomplish that goal?" Ulquiorra turned his attention back toward Ururu calmly. "I'm ready to continue."

"Don't ignore me!" Ichigo leapt at Ulquiorra and pinned him to the ground once more, this time pointing Zangetsu at the other man's chest. "Tell me where she is!"

"I don't know where she is and even if I did, there's no way I would tell you." Ulquiorra stared up at Ichigo. "Get off of me. I need to continue my training so that I can defeat Zaraki and save the woman that I..." He trailed off slowly and looked away from Ichigo. "the woman that I love."

"You bastard!" Ichigo growled and raised his Zanpakutō high into the air but before he could bring it down Ikkaku kicked him, knocking him off of Ulquiorra.

"That's enough!" Ikkaku grabbed Ulquiorra and pulled him up before turning his gaze to Ichigo. "Don't you think it's a little ridiculous to be fighting like this when your goal is ultimately the same?"

"Step away Ikkaku! It's bad enough that he took Inoue and he's using his role as a Shinigami to cover his tracks, but to say that he loves her? Unforgivable. The bastard wouldn't know the meaning of the word even if he was capable of experiencing it!" Ichigo gripped his sword tightly and pointed it at Ulquiorra. "I won't let him use Inoue like that!"

Ulquiorra glanced at the sword Ikkaku had clutched in his hand. At first glance he thought it might be his squad mate's Zanpakutō but upon closer examination he realized it was Murciélago. Before any thought could cross his mind, Ulquiorra drew the sword from its sheath and pointed it at Ichigo. "If you're so willing to die, then so be it."

Ikkaku groaned in irritation and held a hand up toward both men. "Ulquiorra, Ichigo... this isn't the time for-"

Ichigo rushed past Ikkaku and swung his sword at Ulquiorra. The other man was able to block it with his own but Ichigo noted with relief that the former Espada was nowhere near as strong as he was the last time they fought. He grinned widely at Ulquiorra and chuckled. "This fight won't last long. You've lost all of that strength you once had."

"If there's anything that I've ever learned from you Ichigo Kurosaki, it's that you don't need strength to win a fight. Your will just has to be stronger than the man you're trying to kill and if that's truly the case, the victory is mine. I won't let you stand in my way. Not anymore." Ulquiorra leapt away from Ichigo and held out his Zanpakutō. It had been a long time since he had last used the weapon and he knew that it would react differently now that he was a Shinigami but he hoped that it would still possess the same abilities that it had when he was a Hollow. "_Enclose, Murciélago._"

Ichigo watched quietly as a green light enveloped Ulquiorra's Zanpakutō. When it dissipated, the sword had taken on a lance like appearance. It was similar to the ones Ulquiorra had used in their previous battle but it was thankfully only one. He smiled to himself and fought a laugh. "That's your Shikai? Did they even let you learn how to use it?"

"I'm not a child. I don't have to be taught how to fight." Ulquiorra stared at Ichigo calmly and took a deep breath. "_Luz de la Luna_..." He placed his hand on Murciélago before swiping it across the air. The action caused several green javelins to materialize before him. He grabbed one and launched it at Ichigo but the other man deflected it with his Zanpakutō. That didn't matter though because now Ulquiorra knew he could at least hold his own against Ichigo. He began shooting off the javelins like rapid fire.

Ichigo easily blocked Ulquiorra's shots but deflecting them caused a huge cloud of dust to rise up. It made it harder to see the former Espada but it also worked to his advantage. He burst through the dust and swung Zangetsu down at Ulquiorra.

"Damn it." Ulquiorra jumped away from Ichigo's swing and quickly countered it with more javelins. He knew they would either be dodged or repelled but it at least kept the other man on his toes. He was expecting a Getsuga Tenshō attack at any minute but he had confidence in his ability to block it. Sure enough, Ichigo fired off his signature attack but Ulquiorra threw a javelin to collide with the blast. The two energies met with an explosion that caused more blinding dust to rise into the air. He stood still, waiting patiently for Ichigo to attack again. He could feel the other man's Reiatsu as it rushed toward him and he held up Murciélago just in enough time to block Ichigo's strike. "Why? Why won't you just give up and go home? All I've ever wanted was for you to give up and leave Orihime's care to me. You never do as I ask."

"And I never will!" Ichigo pushed harder on Zangetsu to gain leverage on the shorter man but before it could give him an advantage he found himself being hit with a crimson arc of Reiatsu. He knew the technique well which was why he was so stunned when the blast knocked both him and Ulquiorra to the ground. He stood in enough time to see Kisuke approaching as he sheathed Benihime. "Urahara! What are you doing?"

"This is not the time or place for this battle." Kisuke advanced quickly on the two men and stood between them. "You'll both end up destroying my shop before you resolve this issue." He turned his gaze to Ichigo and smiled. "Don't you think you'd be better off searching for Inoue? He's already told you, even if he does know where she is he'll never tell you."

Ichigo clenched his sword and stared hard at Kisuke. "Do you believe him when he says he doesn't know where she is?"

"I believe that she is not here with him right now and therefore, you have no business here. If your true goal is to find Inoue, you should be out searching for her." Kisuke turned to face Ulquiorra. "And you, are you trying to get yourself killed before you can even face Zaraki?"

Ulquiorra steadied himself using Murciélago to stand and gasped for breath. "He started it."

Kisuke chuckled softly and shook his head. "How very human like of you. You're both more alike than you care to admit." He then turned his attention back to Ichigo. "You came here for a purpose. I know it wasn't to fight Ulquiorra because this facility blocks out the majority of Reiatsu. You wouldn't have sensed him until you drew closer. You need something from me."

"I was hoping you might have a device that could pinpoint Inoue's Reiatsu. Rukia and Renji are here searching for her as well and they said they could faintly detect her Reiatsu until a day ago when it vanished completely." Ichigo glared past Kisuke at Ulquiorra. "Whatever method he's using to hide her, I need something to overcome it."

"I wish I could help." Kisuke put his hand to his chin in thought. "There _are_ some prototypes I had been working on but they're nowhere near finished. Also, I hate to be the one to say this but it's something you should already know. There's a chance that if Inoue's Reiatsu has vanished completely, she may no longer exist."

Ulquiorra's eyes bulged at Kisuke's words. He felt a wave of sickness flood over him at the idea that something bad might have happened to Orihime. He dropped to his knees finding it difficult to stand any longer. "Th-that can't be."

"You bastard! What did you-" Ichigo lunged at Ulquiorra but he was quickly stopped as Kisuke blocked his way. "Urahara, do you really think that she might be... gone?"

"I'm afraid I have no insight into her situation. I'm merely stating that it is a possibility." Kisuke motioned toward the ladder and ushered Ichigo toward it. "Your best bet is to continue searching for her to the best of your ability. If she's out there, I have faith that you can find her."

Ichigo stared at Kisuke before glancing back at Ulquiorra. "Don't let him fool you, Urahara. Inoue made that mistake and now she's missing."

Kisuke laughed to himself as he watched Ichigo leave. He then turned back toward Ulquiorra and sighed. "My my, what a mess."

Ulquiorra stared down at the ground in despair as he heard Kisuke approaching. "Urahara, do you really think she's..."

"You tell me. If you really love her as you say you do, your heart should be more in tune with hers than mine is." Kisuke knelt before Ulquiorra and smiled. "What do you feel?"

"All I can feel is fear that she might have been hurt." Ulquiorra looked up at Kisuke worriedly. "What if it's like you said? What if I've put her in danger while I stubbornly refused Ichigo Kurosaki's help? What if she lost her life because of it?"

"Mr. Cifer..." Ururu approached Ulquiorra calmly with Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka in her hand. She knelt beside the man and held out the hairpins to place in his palm. "It's faint, but can't you feel the pulsating? It's Miss Inoue's Reiatsu."

Ulquiorra grasped the hairpins tightly. He could scarcely feel the pulse that Ururu spoke of but it was indeed there and it was indeed Orihime's. He let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "She's alive."

"I think you should keep these now." Ururu took the hair pins from Ulquiorra's hand and pinned them securely to the collar of the Shinigami's Shihakushō at breast level. "There! Now when you feel that pulse against your own heart beat you'll know that Miss Inoue is alive and waiting for you to rescue her."

"Thank you. I..." Ulquiorra turned to face Ururu and tried to fight the tears that were swelling up in his eyes. He wiped away the tears as they came to his face but they kept coming until he found himself weeping uncontrollably. He knew it was all due to his exhaustion and he tried to fight it but eventually sleep took him and he collapsed to the ground.


	11. Sleeping All These Years

Hello friends.

So sorry I've been away for a while. My cousin's health took a turn for the worse last week. She got pneumonia in her left lung and because of the chemo, her body couldn't produce the blood cells needed to fight off the infection. She passed away the 1st of December.

Needless to say it's been a very difficult time for my family and me.

I've had the next couple chapters written for a while but it's taken a bit for me to just get on the computer and upload them so I apologize. I should have them up for you soon.

Thank you for your understanding.

* * *

><p>"Good morning!" Ururu said cheerfully as she entered the room where Ulquiorra lay resting. She sat down the tray of food she had been carrying beside him and smiled. "How did you sleep?"<p>

"I slept?" Ulquiorra sat up quickly and blinked at Ururu nervously. "How long?"

"Only about six hours." Ururu walked over to the window and pulled back the shades to let some light in. "How are you feeling?"

Ulquiorra groaned as the light reached his eyes and he covered his face with his hands. "Horrible. I need coffee."

"Sorry, no more coffee. Kisuke's orders. He says you need to learn to fight with your own endurance and not with the boost coffee gives you." Ururu motioned to the tray of food. "I made you breakfast. Kisuke said you could have tea instead so I made some tea. I also made eggs and bacon and sausage and waffles. You need to build up your strength because the next three days are going to be pretty rough on you so you need all that protein. Though I wonder... do Shinigami process foods the same as humans?"

Ulquiorra looked to Ururu in confusion. "What is so important about the next three days that I need all of this food?" He turned his attention to the tray stacked high with food. It was void of anything fresh like fruits or vegetables which was irritating. "Can't I just have plain toast and grapefruit?" He picked up his cup of tea and began sipping it slowly.

"But you have Bankai training." Ururu smiled but the smile was short lived as Ulquiorra began to cough and sputter on the tea he had been drinking. She rushed over and patted his back gently. "Are you alright?"

"D-did you say Bankai training?" Ulquiorra continued to cough until he cleared his airway of the liquid he had accidentally inhaled. "Already?"

"Kisuke said you're ready. He said after watching you fight with Mr. Kurosaki he knew you were ready for Bankai training." Ururu stood and started toward the door. "I should get things ready."

"Wait." Ulquiorra looked to Ururu curiously. "When Ikkaku said I needed to fight at the level of strength that a Captain could I assumed that meant only my strength. I could get strong without my Bankai and I don't have that kind of time. Doesn't Bankai take years to master?"

"Kisuke has a device called a Tenshintai. You can forcibly materialize the spirit of your Zanpakutō with it. It's a dangerous method and it needs to be completed within the three days time. If you can't... well, we'll have to think of something else."

"I can do it." Ulquiorra turned back to his tray and began eating slowly. _"I have to."_

...

"Matsumoto." Tōshirō Hitsugaya looked to his Lieutenant as she stared off into the distance. "When was the last break you took?"

Rangiku glanced at her Captain with tired eyes before turning her gaze back out at the horizon. "I don't know."

"You can't keep pushing yourself like this. You're no good to Inoue if you can't keep your eyes open." Tōshirō sighed and put a hand on Rangiku's shoulder. "Why don't you go rest?"

"I have to find her. If he was that concerned then she really must be in big trouble." Rangiku continued to scan the distance for any sign of Orihime.

"You mean the Hollow?" Tōshirō looked at Rangiku curiously. "Do you still believe he is innocent?"

"I don't know what to believe. All I know is that I've never seen him so full of emotion. The fear in his eyes was almost tangible." Rangiku looked at Tōshirō sadly. "I don't know."

"I've been in contact with Hinamori. She promised that she would inform me the instant anyone involved shows up in Soul Society." Tōshirō glanced at Rangiku. "I find it hard to believe that Zaraki just took Inoue, but then again, after Aizen I don't think we can trust anyone completely. It just doesn't make any sense. I would expect Aizen to be involved somehow but nobody has made any effort to reach him. I thought for sure that the Hollow would-"

"Ulquiorra." Rangiku turned her eyes forward and sighed. "His name is Ulquiorra, not Hollow. I think it's time we started treating him more like a Shinigami and less like a Hollow. He isn't one anymore. Orihime always used to say that and she's right. We keep expecting him to prove his loyalty to us but what have we really done to make him feel loyal? Ostracizing him for his past is not a good way to build feelings of trust. It's likely that the only one of us he trusted was his Captain and now the man has betrayed him."

"So you do believe him." Tōshirō mused quietly to himself and crossed his arms. "We can't ignore his past, Matsumoto. It isn't as though he came to us without a memory. He remembered everything from his time as a Hollow and while he was an Espada he did some truly atrocious things."

"Not everything is so black and white, Captain." Rangiku smiled sadly. "Gin betrayed us too but in the end, his reasoning was..." She paused and shook her head. "Never mind. This isn't about Gin or even Ulquiorra. This is just about finding Orihime regardless of who has her and brining her home safe."

"Matsumoto! Captain Hitsugaya!" Izuru gasped for breath as he stopped before the two. "Inoue! Sh-she's..."

Rangiku's eyes bulged and she grasped Izuru by his shoulders. "What about Orihime? Did you find her!"

Izuru continued to gasp for air and looked up at Rangiku. "T-ten miles south of here. Her Reiatsu showed itself faintly, only for a moment. We couldn't pinpoint her exact location but we have a general area."

"Where!" Rangiku looked at Izuru in a panic.

"A forest like area. Lots of trees and natural cover. We could spend days searching if we don't know the area." Izuru looked at Rangiku hopefully. "Someone or something is clearly blocking out her Reiatsu but she's alive."

"Lieutenants Kuchiki and Abarai have already informed Ichigo Kurosaki of the situation. With any luck, he might know the area well enough." Tōshirō gripped Rangiku's shoulder to reassure her. "We're a step closer to finding her. Lieutenant Kira, inform the others immediately."

...

"What were you thinking?" Yachiru demanded as she stamped her foot angrily at Yumichika.

"I was thinking that the poor girl needed to see a bit of sunlight. It's depressing sitting down in the dark of a cave. The air is stale and it's all around unpleasant. It isn't as though I let her completely out of the cave!" Yumichika crossed his arms and huffed. "If we had cloaks like you and the Captain, we wouldn't be forced to hide in this cave."

"These cloaks aren't easy to come by, you know. That Urahara man only made two that were confiscated. It was hard enough breaking in just to steal them from the research and development creeps!" Yachiru stepped into the cave and stripped herself of her cloak. She handed the Reiatsu blocking fabric to Yumichika and sighed. "We have to move her now. Go knock her out."

"I don't particularly like having to cause harm to the poor thing." Yumichika sighed and accepted the cloak from his Lieutenant's hands. "Can't you do it?"

Yachiru put her hands on her hips and stared up at Yumichika angrily. "No way! She can't know that Ken-chan and I are involved. She's smarter than she looks and if she puts two and two together-"

"Alright! I'll do it. Where am I taking her?" Yumichika asked in irritation.

"The other side of town. I've been scouting and it seems like the whole area surrounding this town has rock formations with this Reiatsu hiding stuff." Yachiru stared up at Yumichika seriously. "And this time, no more going soft. For some reason Ken-chan insisted that you have the right touch for this but I think we should have got Cueball to do it instead."

Yumichika chuckled to himself. "I'm sure Ikkaku has a role of his own to play. Whether he knows it or not remains to be seen. I assure you, I can do what is required of me." He turned away from Yachiru and started back into the depths of the cave. He approached Orihime quietly and smiled. "I'm back."

"So soon?" Orihime looked to Yumichika grumpily. "Did you happen to find what you were looking for out there?"

"I did." Yumichika held up the cloak and sighed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to render you unconscious again."

"What?" Orihime's look of irritation turned to one of all out fury. "What for?"

"I have to move you. Unfortunately I made the mistake of letting you get too close to the entrance. Your Reiatsu became mildly detectable and there's just no way of knowing if someone was able to detect you." Yumichika sat down across from Orihime and stared at her calmly. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"You know, for as many cruel things as you had to say about him, Ulquiorra was never this wretched to me when he kidnapped me. He made threats but he never followed through with them and he never once got violent with me!" Orihime stared at Yumichika defiantly. "I'm not just going to comply with you."

Yumichika mused to himself and grinned widely. "You're a bag of surprises, Inoue. Everyone believes that your feelings toward Ulquiorra are the result of something called Stockholm syndrome. Did you know that?" He took note of the unamused look on her face and laughed. "Do you even know what that is? It's what happens to pretty little ladies like you who find themselves being held captive by handsome men like me and your beloved Ulquiorra. You see, first it starts out as compliance with our demands. Then you get to know us, you mistake any act of kindness as us being genuinely good people who care for you. Finally you start to see us as your friend, even going so far as to see those who might rescue you as the enemy. You feel beholden to us and convince yourself that what you're feeling is love."

"That's not how it happened at all!" Orihime stared hard at Yumichika and clenched her fists. "And that's certainly not the situation with you!"

"No it isn't, is it?" Yumichika smiled. "That's why it's so interesting. One would expect that if Stockholm syndrome affected you the first time, it would affect you again. But that was never the case with you and Ulquiorra, was it? Oh sure, maybe to a small degree you misread his actions but... well, you made your own decisions about him regardless of your situation. It's all very romantic though. I envy you both."

"If that's the case then why don't you let me go? I don't even understand why you're doing this! You used to be so nice. I used to consider you a friend." Orihime drew her knees up to her chest. She was feeling vulnerable but she didn't want to cry or show weakness to Yumichika.

"I am your friend and I hope that in the near future you'll consider me one as well." Yumichika sighed and stood slowly. "I really hate to do these things to you, Inoue. I'm just following orders."

Orihime's heart skipped a beat and she looked up at Yumichika in shock. "Orders?" A memory flashed through her mind of the night he kidnapped her and she gasped. She remembered him saying that before. "Orders from who!"

"Now, you see? You've made me say too much." Yumichika reached out and hit Orihime on the back of her head, rendering her unconscious. "I really do hate these ugly actions I have to take."

...

"This is the Tenshintai. It's a device what will help you materialize your Zanpakutō spirit." Kisuke said as he motioned to the doll beside him. Once you stab it with your Zanpakutō, you'll have only three days to conquer Murciélago. If the data I received is correct, you were the only Espada capable of achieving what you called Segunda Etapa which I'm assuming is the Arrancar equivalent of a Shinigami's Bankai so you should have no trouble."

"Unfortunately that isn't necessarily the case. To the Arrancar, the Zanpakutō was merely a catalyst. We didn't borrow our power from our Zanpakutō. We used the power of the Zanpakutō to unleash our own abilities. Outside of learning the name of the Zanpakutō, the Arrancar never communicated with their swords like Shinigami do. All their power came from brute strength. They wanted to distance themselves as much as possible from the ways of the Shinigami so they didn't form relationships with their swords." Ulquiorra paused and looked down at Murciélago. "I was the one exception. I was intrigued by the power that I could gain if I chose to forge a relationship with Murciélago. Even still, the relationship was limited and consisted of little more than a few encounters to synchronize our powers. The outcome was my Segunda Etapa but I never had to materialize or conquer Murciélago to achieve that. It was more akin to a Shikai type of relationship."

"Hmm. Frightening to think how strong all of the Espada could have become if only they hadn't been so stubborn." Kisuke put his hand to his chin in thought before shrugging. "All of that is regardless. Go ahead and pierce the doll with your Zanpakutō."

Ulquiorra nodded and stepped toward the Tenshintai. He thrust Murciélago into the doll and was instantly blown back by a massive force. A green rain of Reiatsu began to fall to the ground and when it stopped the surrounding area grew dark and it became hard to see. It was almost as if a black mist had formed from the rain. Ulquiorra glanced to the others but they were nowhere in sight. It was then that he began to feel something akin to panic. He didn't know if this was normal or if he had messed up with the Tenshintai. "What's going on Urahara?"

"They can't hear you. They can't see you. They can't help you." Murciélago said calmly as he materialized before Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra stared up in awe at Murciélago. It was hard to see the spirit shrouded in darkness but he could see the two glowing green eyes staring down at him. He could also distinctly hear the sound of wings flapping. "Murciélago-"

"Don't speak to me. For years you've let me be locked away. You never even once tried to free me. I leant you my power and you repaid me with nothing." Murciélago let out a screech which reverberated off of Ulquiorra and showed the Shinigami's location to the spirit. "I'll destroy you."

Ulquiorra's eyes bulged as Murciélago let loose a blast of green Reiatsu from what appeared to be his mouth. He dodged the attack by a few inches and rolled away from the spirit. He knew then that this would not be an easy fight. He made a dash for the barrier placed around them and noticed as he drew closer that it was made of thousands of lances. He reached out and grabbed one and threw it at Murciélago but the Zanpakutō spirit dodged it easily. He grabbed another one to arm himself and looked around for the dark creature but he couldn't see him. Murciélago's back was turned and Ulquiorra couldn't understand why the spirit wasn't coming after him. That was when he heard a low, unsettling clicking noise followed by a moment of silence. In that small instant, Murciélago whirled around and shot off another blast of Reiatsu which Ulquiorra managed to dodge.

Murciélago flew in the direction of Ulquiorra with claws ready. He couldn't see in the mist of his own darkness but with his ability to use echolocation, he could find his prey just fine. He let out a few more clicks to confirm the Shinigami's location before he dove in with full force.

Ulquiorra barely avoided Murciélago's grasp. He stabbed at the dark figure with the lance but the strike did no damage and caused the lance to dissipate. He jumped away from the spirit and realized in horror that Murciélago now stood between him and the lances but the creature still wasn't attacking. It was then that it dawned upon Ulquiorra. Murciélago couldn't see in the darkness any more than he could. The clicking noise that he had been making must have been used as a form of sonar. Ulquiorra smiled to himself. He knew exactly what he had to do now.


	12. A Situation Like this Should Never Exist

So I have completely finished this story. Done.

But I'm seriously second-guessing my ending. I talked it over with my beta and we've decided the only possible way to solve this issue is for me to write an alternate ending, re-read both endings and choose the better one.

Hopefully I'll be done with that soon so you guys don't have to wait too terribly long.

4 Denied- Sonic Syndicate

* * *

><p>Orihime groaned as she came to. She was still surrounded in darkness but it was even darker than it had been previously. That was when she realized that something was draped over her. She sat up to discover that she had been covered up by Yumichika's kosode. She glanced around in the darkness, her eyes adjusting slowly to being opened and she saw Yumichika a few feet away. Anger filled her instantly. She was really furious with him and her head was aching worse than it had been after the first time he'd hit her. "Are we moved yet or are you going to hit me again?"<p>

"We're moved." Yumichika said happily. "With any luck, I won't be having to strike you a third time. On the plus side, it even took you less time to wake up. Only two days and a half this time. You've gotten stronger, even with this Reiatsu hindering mineral all around you."

Orihime looked around the cave. It didn't look much different than her pervious surroundings but she noted that it was quite a bit colder. She remembered the kosode that was still draped over her shoulders and she tore it off, handing it in Yumichika's direction. "H-here! Take this back already. I don't want it."

"But it's cold here. Souls can get sick and die just as easily as humans can, you know." Yumichika stared at Orihime in confusion a moment. He knew she had to be cold but then it dawned upon him what must have been going through her mind and he chuckled to himself. "Oh, I see. You're thinking about what I said earlier, aren't you? About the captive misconstruing the actions of the captor. You don't want me to think-" Another laugh escaped from his lips and he shook his head. "Don't worry Inoue, I know that isn't the case. Keep it, please. I want you to be warm."

Orihime blinked at Yumichika curiously before hesitantly wrapping the kosode back around herself. "I don't know why you care."

"I've already told you, I consider you a friend and I hope that you'll be able to consider me a friend one day soon." Yumichika sighed and handed a piece of bread in Orihime's direction. "I really hate these things I have to do."

Orihime refused the bread and crossed her arms. "You don't act as though you hate it."

"You know, when you act like that it makes you seem so much less beautiful." Yumichika sighed. "It's a shame, though I suppose it really is for the best. Otherwise things will just get messy."

Orihime's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that you're spoiling your beauty by acting ugly. I used to think you were so beautiful the first time I met you. You charmed me. Not only your outer beauty but your inner beauty. No matter what, even in the face if danger you were so full of grace." Yumichika shrugged. "But you're being vile now. I think you've been spending far too much time with Rangiku. That attitude sullies your beauty in my eyes but that's probably for the best."

Orihime stared at Yumichika in disbelief. "Can you blame me? You've done nothing but talk poorly about Ulquiorra to me, then tricked him in to believing you were friends only so that you could kidnap me and bring me to some dark, terrible cave on the orders of somebody else. I have no idea where I am, why I'm here or what you plan to do with me! I'm scared and I'm hurt because I trusted you!" She fought the tears welling up in her eyes but they began to roll down her cheeks. She'd kept it in for so long and now it was as if she was exploding. "All I wanted was to be able to be a Shinigami and be able to work alongside my friends and I wanted Ulquiorra to be a part of that but now..."

Yumichika sighed sadly as he watched Orihime bury her face into the sleeves of his kosode and cry. _"I really hate this. Ulquiorra, Ichigo, whichever one of you is going to come first just hurry up and get here."_ He stood slowly and stepped over to the woman sobbing on the floor of the cave. He knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Inoue..."

Orihime looked up at Yumichika and tried to choke back her sobs. "Wh-what?"

"Don't cry." Yumichika wiped away the tears from Orihime's face and cupped her cheek gently. "I'm sorry and I promise you that very soon you'll understand everything but you shouldn't cry. It isn't very becoming."

Orihime stared up at Yumichika quietly. Her sobs ceased and despite that she was furious with him, his gaze managed to calm her. She could see by the look on his face that he really wasn't happy with the way things were going. She nodded hesitantly and sighed. "A-alright."

Yumichika smiled in relief and thumbed her cheek happily. "That's a good girl."

"Umm..." Orihime noticed that Yumichika's hand was still cupping her cheek and was even caressing her softly. She became instantly uncomfortable and pulled away quickly. "C-can I have some of that bread now, please?"

"Of course." Yumichika reached into the bag where he kept their supplies and handed the bread to Orihime. "Have as much as you like, I can always get more."

...

"How do you think things are going in there?" Ikkaku asked as he let out a long yawn. "It's pretty boring just sitting here staring at a black wall of fog, or whatever it is."

"Well, he's not dead yet." Jinta said in irritation. "He would've been if he kept fighting me though, the bastard."

"Yeah right, kid." Ikkaku chuckled and glanced back at the red haired young man. "Hey, shouldn't you be up in the shop? Isn't Tessai going to beat your ass if you're slacking?"

"He told me to come take a break." Jinta said with a grumble. "Anyway, how much longer does he have, Ururu?"

Ururu looked at the stop watch on her wrist and sighed. "Three hours."

Kisuke glanced at Ururu and smiled. "Don't worry. He should be able to do it. Within the first ten minutes of their fight I was able to deduce that the field within which they fight is made up of hundreds of lances similar to the ones from Ulquiorra's Shikai and that they block out all Reiatsu and all sight and sound. Ulquiorra likely found that out even faster than I did. And just now I've come to a realization. Though I couldn't hear anything, there was a distinct vibration coming through the barrier. If Ulquiorra can't see in there, chances are that the Zanpakutō spirit can't either and those vibrations must be coming from some method he uses to find his way around in that dark barrier. That being said, the vibrations come in intervals and if that's the case, Ulquiorra's best bet is to attack while those vibrations are being sent out. If he is as smart as I think he is, he's already figured that out and he's waiting for his chance to strike."

"Well he better hurry up. Achieving his Bankai means nothing if he doesn't have enough experience with it to fight against the Captain." Ikkaku continued to watch the barrier in interest, now trying to feel the vibrations Kisuke had been talking about.

"Madarame, have either of you given any thought to what is going to happen after this is all over? What if after all this, he still isn't strong enough to defeat Zaraki? Or what if he does defeat him? Will he kill him or let him go? What about Ayasegawa? Isn't he your friend?" Kisuke looked to Ikkaku in curiosity. "These are all questions you should be asking yourself. What happens to you two when you return to Soul Society? They aren't exactly lenient about breaking the rules regardless of reasoning."

Ikkaku chuckled and shrugged. "Old man Yamamoto has gotten a lot softer than you think. We have Ichigo to thank for that. I guess those are all pretty good questions but we'll cross those bridges when we come to them. Right now my main focus is to make sure Ulquiorra is strong enough to give our Captain a good fight."

Kisuke cocked an eyebrow at Ikkaku's last statement. "Don't you mean strong enough to defeat him?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Ikkaku yawned and laid back on the ground. "Wake me when he's finished with-"

"Where is he!" Ichigo demanded as he landed on the ground behind the group staring off into the distance. "Where is that bastard?"

Ikkaku sat back up quickly and looked over his shoulder at Ichigo. "Ichigo, what are you doing here?"

Kisuke looked at Ichigo curiously. "If you're looking for Ulquiorra, he's over there training. What's wrong? Did you find Inoue?"

"No, I didn't. Two days ago Kira sensed her Reiatsu in an area on the outskirts of town. As quickly as it became detectable, it vanished again and we've all been out searching ever since. We've searched the whole area but she can't be found. He must have taken her somewhere else and hidden her!" Ichigo clenched his fists and scowled. "I'll kill him."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this Ichigo but he's been here non stop. He couldn't leave, even if he wanted to." Kisuke motioned over to the dark barrier around Ulquiorra and Murciélago. "He's in the middle of his Bankai training."

Ichigo grit his teeth and his eyes flew from Kisuke to the barrier and back again. "You're teaching that bastard to use his Bankai?"

"Well, I'm not teaching him myself but I let him use the Tenshintai." Kisuke smiled. "I don't really see the issue. If you're so mad about it tell the Shinigami who are here in the world of the living and let them handle it."

"You know I won't do that. If anybody is going to deal with Ulquiorra, it's going to be me." Ichigo scoffed and smirked. "If he's learning his Bankai then that just means it'll be a fair fight next time."

"You can fight him _after_ he fights Kenpachi." Ikkaku stood and faced Ichigo. "I haven't come this far just to have him lose to you."

Ichigo's brow furrowed at Ikkaku's words. "Why _did_ you come this far, Ikkaku? It isn't like you to care about something like this. You should be working toward trying to clear Kenpachi's name, not trying to help somebody defeat him."

Ikkaku fought a chuckle and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm just following orders."

"Ikkaku, you-" Ichigo started toward Ikkaku but he froze as there came a loud explosion in the distance. He looked out to see that the black barrier had disappeared and instead, dust rose in its place. When the dust began to settle he spotted Ulquiorra with a massive bat like creature in his grasp and a green lance pressed against its throat. The creature appeared to be unconscious but Ichigo couldn't truly tell from the distance he was at. It did appear that Ulquiorra was speaking to it, however.

(4) "Submit to me." Ulquiorra said calmly, his eyes narrowed at Murciélago. "I've defeated you and I've destroyed your barrier. Submit!"

"I won't submit to you." Murciélago glared down at Ulquiorra angrily. "You aren't worthy. You're trash."

Ulquiorra gripped the Zanpakutō spirit tighter and growled. "I do not have time for this. The woman that we both owe our existence to is being held captive and I have to save her. You don't have to like me. You don't even have to stay with me when this is all over. But right now, right here you will submit to me."

Murciélago chuckled and stared down at Ulquiorra. "You've changed. I liked you a lot more when you were heartless. You weren't such a self righteous child."

"And you weren't so insufferable." Ulquiorra continued to stare hard at Murciélago. "Submit now or I will destroy you. If you won't help me then you are of no use to me. How is that for heartless?"

"She's that same girl from all those years ago, isn't she?" Murciélago grinned widely. "The girl that you wouldn't let go. The girl that you nearly lost your life for."

Ulquiorra stared up at Murciélago unmoved. He couldn't show a flicker of emotion. He had to stay strong and keep his resolve. Any weakness now would just be a blow to his efforts. "The one that saved both of us from destruction, yes the very same.

"Very well." Murciélago smirked and closed his eyes. "I'll submit for now, but this battle isn't over." With that he disappeared back into the sword and left Ulquiorra holding up the Tenshintai.

Ulquiorra released the doll in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief. He dropped to his knees, completely exhausted and began tugging Murciélago from the chest of the doll. He could sense Ichigo's Reiatsu in the distance and he knew he was likely going to have to fight the man despite that he didn't know if he even had the strength anymore. He stood slowly on unstable legs and looked over at Ichigo but the man's attention wasn't directed at him. Instead he was grasping Ikkaku and shaking him angrily. He watched the two curiously for a moment before Ikkaku used Shunpō to get away and Ichigo quickly followed. Ulquiorra hurried over to where Kisuke, Ururu and Jinta still stood and looked up at them in confusion. "Where did Madarame go? What's going on?"

"My, oh my." Kisuke sighed and shook his head. "I had a feeling there was more to this than any of us knew."

"More to what?" Ulquiorra quickly climbed the cliff on which the others stood and looked between them.

"It appears that you've been set up." Kisuke glanced at Ururu and Jinta, unsure how to explain everything to Ulquiorra. "Apparently, Inoue's kidnapping was all a ploy to get your strength up to a level where you could fight your Captain. According to Madarame, Zaraki has been wanting to fight you for a long time but you never would. Thus, they created a situation which would force you to take up arms against them. It appears that Inoue hasn't been in any real danger at all."

"Sh-she's okay?" Ulquiorra let out a relieved sigh and put his hand to his head. "I don't know whether to be happy that she's safe or angry with them for what they put us through."

"A bit of both would be appropriate, but Ulquiorra..." Kisuke stared at the Shinigami seriously. "Madarame also said that they wouldn't release Inoue until after you fight against Zaraki. He was very adamant about the fact that none of us would ever see her again if you didn't fight your Captain with everything that you've got."

"I assumed as much." Ulquiorra looked to Kisuke calmly. "I can do it, I know I can. I can defeat Zaraki and I can get Orihime back."

"They're giving you a two day reprieve to train and to rest." Kisuke looked to Ulquiorra calmly. "I suggest you accept. You may have achieved Bankai but that doesn't mean you're ready. They won't reveal Inoue's location to you until they want you to come."

"I understand." Ulquiorra nodded. "But who will I train against? Jinta an Ururu can't-"

"You'll fight against me." Ichigo said as he jumped down into the underground facility and landed in front of Ulquiorra.

"Now, now." Kisuke stepped between Ichigo and Ulquiorra and held his hands up. "Don't be too hasty Ichigo."

"No, I'm serious." Ichigo stared at Ulquiorra calmly. "We were both duped and we're both planning on rescuing Inoue. We should both be at our best. I want to train with you."

Ulquiorra stared at Ichigo quietly. He despised the other man but he didn't have much other choice at the moment. He raised his Zanpakutō toward Ichigo and took a battle stance. "We have a day and a half to train and a half day to rest. Do you think you'll be able to keep going that long?"

Ichigo snickered and drew Zangetsu to point at Ulquiorra. "You should be asking that question to yourself."

...

Yumichika let out a small yawn and tried his hardest to recline against the wall of the cave. "This is so boring!"

Orihime glanced at Yumichika, his sudden comment catching her off guard in the awkward silence they had been sitting in for the past hour. "Y-yeah."

"Oh, not you Inoue!" Yumichika said with a smile. "You've been lovely. I just wish I had brought a book to read. Romeo and Juliet or something."

Orihime crossed her arms and looked away from Yumichika angrily. "You broke your silence just to tease me?"

"It isn't my intention to tease you, it's just... well, what did you expect to happen exactly? You tell Ulquiorra that your situation reminds you of Romeo and Juliet and then you expect him not to want to find out more? Tell me Inoue, why did you play so hard to get with him?" Yumichika looked at the woman curiously. "Was it because of Ichigo or were you just scared?"

"That's none of your concern!" Orihime scowled at Yumichika. "Why don't you just go back to being quiet?"

"I'm just trying to find out why it took so long for you two to admit your feelings for each other. It was obvious that first day, when your eyes met for the first time in all those years." Yumichika sighed. "Very romantic and beautiful. I envy that beauty."

"The cold sting of irony. The one person who finds beauty in my relationship with Ulquiorra, is the one person who isn't my ally." Orihime laughed sadly and shook her head. "Even if he saves me, there's still going to be everyone against us. Everyone in Soul Society treats him like a poison."

"Then maybe you should start anew." Yumichika smiled at Orihime calmly. "When this is all over, you don't have to return to Soul Society. There's a whole big world out there just waiting to be explored. Sure, you'd spend your entire time looking over your shoulder waiting for them to find you but at least you'd be together."

"That's no way to live." Orihime sighed. "Forever on the run... it isn't worth it."

Yumichika shrugged. "It's an option. You-" He started to explain that with Kisuke Urahara's help they might be able to live actually peaceful lives in Reiatsu masking Gigai but he was interrupted by the sound of Ikkaku calling his name. He was taken by surprise by the sound but he stood and swiftly made his way toward the entrance of the cave. "Ikkaku?"

"Finally! I've been looking forever!" Ikkaku spotted Yumichika and made his way into the cave. He removed the hood of the Reiatsu blocking cloak and smiled at his friend. "I was starting to think I'd never find you."

Yumichika crossed his arms and stared at Ikkaku in irritation. "So you _were_ in on it! And you didn't see fit to tell me about your role?"

Ikkaku smirked widely. "You wouldn't tell me about yours."

"Fair enough." Yumichika unfolded his arms and looked at Ikkaku curiously. "I assume that since you're here, things have advanced?"

Ikkaku's smirk turned into a full on grin. "I gave them a two day period to get their act together. The Captain knows. The only potential problem I see is that there are a handful of Lieutenants here. Kuchiki, Renji and Kira that I know of. I think I also sensed Hisagi and chances are high that Matsumoto is here too. No idea who is heading up the group. I just hope that the fight happens before any of them can intervene."

"What fight?" Orihime asked as she came upon the two Shinigami. "Why does there have to be a fight? Look, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. I just don't want any fighting!"

"You've already played your part Inoue and you've done it splendidly." Yumichika smiled at Orihime. "We just ask that you continue to play it a few days more and everything will be okay."

...

"You know, this whole thing was Yachiru's idea." Ichigo said as he swung at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra easily dodged Ichigo's swing and countered it by thrusting his Zanpakutō forward. "That doesn't surprise me."

"I ran into her while I was chasing after Ikkaku. She said that it was a game." Ichigo blocked Ulquiorra's jab and forced the smaller man back. "She said it was a competition. Whoever gets to Inoue first and saves her wins her love."

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra leapt at Ichigo and brought his sword down with more force than before. "Then I guess that means I'll have to actually dispatch you."

"I want to save Inoue, but this isn't about love. It never has been for me." Ichigo blocked Ulquiorra's attack and took note that it had more force behind it than the previous attacks. "She's a friend. Someone dear to me and I want to protect her. It's been that way since I gained my Shinigami powers and it's always going to be that way. I'll always protect her no matter what."

Ulquiorra shook his head and blocked an attack from Ichigo. "I can't accept that. I have to save her for my own reasons. Besides, Zaraki wants to fight _me_. If he wanted to fight you he could have taken her at any time but I was his goal. I'm the one he wants to fight and I'm the reason Orihime got taken. I have to be the one that brings her back. You can fight Zaraki afterwards."

"You're too confident in your abilities." Ichigo slashed upwardly toward Ulquiorra but the other man blocked it. "You're not a Hollow anymore and you just aren't as strong."

"I'm not confident at all. I just know what has to be done." Ulquiorra jumped away from Ichigo and held out his Zanpakutō. "_Enclose, Murciélago._"

"Shikai already?" Ichigo chuckled lightly. "You feeling run down?"

"I need the practice. _Luz de la Luna._" Ulquiorra placed his hand on his blade and swiped it across the air causing the Reiatsu javelins to form. He began firing them off at Ichigo as quickly as he could.

"Don't you think it's dangerous for Ulquiorra to be firing at Ichigo like that?" Ururu looked up at Kisuke worriedly. "I know we've been teaching him not to hold back but if Ichigo slips up he could be seriously wounded."

"He _is_ holding back." Kisuke smiled and continued to watch the fight before him. "He's not putting nearly the amount of Reiatsu into those javelins as he was the last time he fought Ichigo. Just enough to keep Ichigo on his toes and for both of them to get the practice they need."

Ururu nodded in understanding and glanced back at Kisuke once more. "Do you think this means that they can put the past behind them now?"

"I can't say for sure. I don't think Ichigo will ever trust Ulquiorra but at the very least they won't be so hostile toward each other. I think a healthy balance between being friends and being enemies is exactly what those two need.

"What do you think is going to happen when they save Miss Inoue? Do you think that she and Mr. Cifer will be able to be together in the end?" Ururu looked out at the two men fighting against each other. "I hope it can end happily."

"That's another question I just can't answer. All I can say is that I know Ulquiorra will do everything his his power make certain they have some sort of happy ending." Kisuke shrugged. "We'll all have to wait and see."


	13. Never Let Go

Happy holidays, everyone.

I hope everyone's holiday season has been better than mine has. Way too much death and tragedy this year. :(

I decided that I will go with my original ending despite my many doubts about it so the following chapter (after this one) will be the original ending that I wrote and I will not be posting any alternates.

Enjoy.

4 Have Faith in Me- A Day to Remember

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><p>"You look like hell. Did you even sleep?" Ichigo said as Ulquiorra took a seat across from him at the table.<p>

"It was a rough night. I managed to sleep a few hours at a time but I think subconsciously I kept waking up afraid that I'd missed my chance." Ulquiorra began to eat sparingly from the plate that Ururu had made for him. His stomach was in knots and his nerves were completely shot. He had managed to keep his calm while he was training with Ichigo but when the training was over and the time came to rest he found it was harder to be so collected. There were still so many unanswered questions and he feared what might happen if he wasn't able to defeat Kenpachi. He wasn't even completely confident in his abilities.

"It's been forty-seven hours and fifty two minutes since Madarame gave you the two day reprieve." Ururu said calmly as she took a seat between Ulquiorra and Kisuke. "There are only eight more minutes left."

"Probably not." Ichigo said as he took a sip of tea. "They aren't the type to be particular on details. Rather than a literal two days it will likely be whenever they feel like it today."

Ulquiorra nodded. "I agree. I've never seen a more disorganized group than the eleventh division. Basically we've been thrown into a waiting game. They'll move forward when they're ready to move forward."

"I wonder what is going to happen when this all comes out into the open." Kisuke mused. "Ichigo, you said there are Lieutenants here under the command of Captain Hitsugaya. I know Kuchiki and Abarai are here and I think you mentioned Lieutenant Kira. Who else?"

"Hisagi and..." Ichigo paused in thought. He hadn't considered what might happen if the other Shinigami got involved in the fight. He hadn't seen much of Rangiku but he knew she was very close to Orihime and he had overheard Izuru talking to Renji about how Rangiku hadn't slept much. There was a chance that she may try to fight and even get hurt. "Rangiku."

"Matsumoto is here?" Ulquiorra slammed his cup of tea down on the table and stood quickly. "I have to speak with her."

Ichigo looked up at Ulquiorra in confusion. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Will you bring her here? If I go outside-"

"I guess I can." Ichigo stood slowly in confusion and started out the door. "I'll be right back."

"Ulquiorra." Kisuke looked up at Ulquiorra calmly. "Finish your breakfast. Ichigo will bring Matsumoto as fast as he can."

Ulquiorra sat down and began to pick at his food again. "I have to tell her that I'm going to save Orihime. I have to let her know that. If they get there and they see me fighting with Zaraki without any explanation..."

Kisuke nodded. "I understand completely. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I have to explain myself to everybody these days." Ulquiorra picked up his toast and took a bite. He was expecting Ichigo back at any second with a furious Rangiku at his heels. When Ichigo finally returned however, Rangiku was anything but furious. She looked tired and worn down and not at all like her normally cheery and upbeat self. "Matsumoto."

"I had a feeling it was you when Ichigo asked me and only me to come along." Rangiku stepped toward the table and sat down across from Ulquiorra. "What do you want? We're supposed to be out searching for Orihime."

"You haven't slept, I can see it on your face." Ulquiorra looked to the woman with concern. "Matsumoto, I'm going to find Orihime and I'm going to bring her back. Today I'm going to fight Zaraki. I'm going to defeat him and I'm going to get Orihime back safe. So, you can rest easy. I need you to let the others know that it was Zaraki who took her and that when I'm fighting him, it's not because I am an enemy of Soul Society. I can't have them interfere with the fight. It has to be a proper battle or he will never give Orihime back to us."

"You've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we spoke but do you really think you can defeat him? Despite the limits that are placed on Captains and Lieutenants here in the world of the living, Zaraki is still very strong." Rangiku looked at Ulquiorra seriously. "You shouldn't try to fight him if you aren't sure that you can beat him."

"I'll beat him. I know I will. I have to." Ulquiorra began to suggest that Rangiku rest when he felt the hairpins against his chest begin to pulsate almost violently. He jumped to his feet and reached for his Zanpakutō. "It's time!"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo looked at Ulquiorra in confusion as he bolted toward the door. "I don't sense her Reiatsu yet."

...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Orihime shouted. "Stop it, that hurts!"

"Not until I see tears!" Yachiru said with a laugh. She grabbed a handful of Orihime's hair and began tugging hard. "Does it hurt yet, Jiggles?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Yes!" Orihime sat on the floor of the cave near the entrance with Yumichika holding her arms in place and Yachiru pulling on her hair. "Why are you doing this Yachiru!"

"We need you to hurt!" Yachiru said happily. "As soon as you hurt, your hair pin thingies will react to it and Hollow Man will come running to your rescue! This way he's the first one here to fight Ken-chan!"

"B-but!" Orihime looked up at Yachiru sadly. "I don't want him to fight!"

"Well he has to! Now cry!" Yachiru continued to pull at Orihime's hair until the woman was screaming in pain.

"Lieutenant, isn't there a better way?" Yumichika said. "I mean, poor Inoue and her hair. She's going to be all frazzled looking when Ulquiorra comes."

"Her face is still pretty and her boobs are still big, I don't think he'll care!" Yachiru said with a grunt. She tugged and tugged at Orihime's hair until she felt Ulquiorra's Reiatsu approaching. "Just a little bit longer."

"Ow! Y-yachiru! Stop!" Orihime whined as the tiny Lieutenant gave her hair one final tug. She began rubbing her head to ease the pain until she felt Ulquiorra's Reiatsu outside. She scurried to her feet and rushed past Yachiru and Ikkaku out of the cave. "Ulquiorra!"

4 "Orihime..." Ulquiorra smiled with relief as Orihime dove into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Are you alright?"

"I'm so happy to see you! I..." Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra with tear filled eyes. "You have to get away! They only took me so that you would have to fight against-"

"I know." Ulquiorra grasped Orihime's chin and brought her gaze up to meet his. "But I'm not leaving. I didn't come here to run away, I came to save you."

Orihime shook her head vigorously. "No! I don't want you to fight!"

"Orihime," Ulquiorra leaned in and kissed Orihime gently. He parted his lips to deepen the kiss and then wiped her tears away. "Kurosaki and Matsumoto will be here soon. I want you to leave with them to Soul Society and I don't want you to look back."

"What?" Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra horrified. "Ulquiorra, that's not happening! I'm not going anywhere without you!" She buried her face in his chest and shook her head. "I'm not leaving!"

"You don't have to leave, but you should probably move out of the way." Kenpachi said as he stepped toward the two.

Orihime glanced over her shoulder at Kenpachi and clung tightly to Ulquiorra. "You don't have to do this! Please!"

"Sorry, but I've been itching to fight that man since he joined the Gotei 13. You just happened to present yourself as the perfect opportunity to get him all wound up." Kenpachi grinned and pointed his Zanpakutō at the couple as he pulled off the Reiatsu blocking cloak and tossed it aside. "Now move aside woman. You're in the way."

Ulquiorra pulled away from Orihime's grasp and drew his Zanpakutō. "Stand back, Orihime."

"Orihime!" Rangiku gasped for breath as she and Ichigo arrived at the scene. She threw her arms around the other woman and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Rangiku!" Orihime pulled out of Rangiku's hug and spun around to face Ulquiorra but he was already off in a battle against Kenpachi. "W-we have to stop them!"

"Zaraki! You reckless bastard!" Rangiku shouted but it was clear that he either didn't hear or didn't care what she had to say. She held Orihime tightly and tried to pull her away. "Come on, let's get you away from here."

"No!" Orihime tugged away from Rangiku and stood firm. "I'm staying. I'm not leaving without him." She turned her eyes to Ulquiorra worriedly. "Ulquiorra! Be safe!"

Ulquiorra heard Orihime's call in the distance but he tried his best to ignore it. He needed to concentrate on his fight with Kenpachi. He was having a hard enough time against him as it was and he knew he was going to have to release his Shikai at any moment. He blocked a blow from Kenpachi but even then it could scarcely be considered a block. It was more like pure luck. He put some distance between himself and the massive Captain and held out his sword. "_Enclose, Murciélago._"

Kenpachi watched with interest as his subordinate began to take things a step further. He smiled to himself and chuckled. "Finally, things can get a little more interesting!"

"_Luz de la Luna._" Ulquiorra placed his hand on Murciélago's blade and swiped it through the air to create the javelins of Reiatsu. He began to fire them at Kenpachi one by one to test how well the other man would block and dodge them. Unfortunately they seemed to pose little threat to Kenpachi so he began to fire them off with more speed just to keep the other man from attacking.

Kenpachi grinned widely. "Good! Good Ulquiorra! Keep that up and we can have a real fun time!" He dodged and hit away the majority of the other Shinigami's attacks but two of the javelins impaled him in the shoulder. He looked down and the wound and began to laugh hysterically. "There you go! That's more like it!" He rushed toward Ulquiorra and raised his Zanpakutō high, swinging it down at the smaller man and slicing into his shoulder. "Well that's a relief, I was expecting your whole arm to come off!"

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime shrieked and rushed forward as the man fell to the ground but Yumichika was there to grab her and hold her back. "Ayasegawa, please! He's hurt!"

"I'm sorry Inoue. It has to be a fair fight." Yumichika held onto the woman tightly. "Just watch. Watch the man you love fight for you and have faith in him."

"Let go of her!" Ichigo drew Zangetsu and pointed the sword at Yumichika but Ikkaku was quick to jump between them. "I don't want to fight you Ikkaku but I will if I have to. This was an uneven fight to begin with. Let Inoue level the playing field!"

"I wouldn't have let Ulquiorra take on the Captain if I didn't have faith in his abilities. There won't be any disruptions so if I have to fight you Ichigo then I'll just say it's a rematch I've been waiting for." Ikkaku unsheathed his Zanpakutō and pointed it at Ichigo.

"What's going on!" Shūhei shouted as he came upon his fellow Shinigami. He looked around to see Yumichika holding Orihime back, both Ichigo and Ikkaku with their Zanpakutō drawn on one another, Rangiku standing worriedly to the side and Kenpachi fighting against Ulquiorra. "Will nobody answer?"

"Hisagi!" Rangiku looked to Shūhei. "Zaraki and his squad were the ones that kidnapped Orihime, Ulquiorra excluded. They were the ones that broke him out of prison and they are also responsible for the theft of his Zanpakutō."

"All of that is regardless." Shūhei looked from Rangiku to the others and back again. "Captain Hitsugaya just received orders that the fugitive Ulquiorra Cifer is to be captured and returned to Soul Society where he is to stand trial for his crimes."

"Crimes! What crimes?" Rangiku stared at Shūhei in confusion. "I just told you that they were the ones that did everything! Everything!"

"It is a direct order from Captain-Commander Yamamoto. I'm sorry." Shūhei turned to face Kenpachi and Ulquiorra. "The other Lieutenants are on their way for back up. We're arresting the Hollow."

"You're not going anywhere near him." Yumichika said with a wide grin. He drew his Zanpakutō and pointed it at Shūhei's throat. "Don't try to fight me, Hisagi. I've beaten you before."

Shūhei chuckled and shook his head. "Well then I suppose you have your Captain to thank for the fact that I'm going to defeat you now. It's funny how one cutting remark can cause a person to strive for something more. I worked to achieve my Bankai and now that I have it, I'll bring you down a notch no problem."

"Oh, so you think you'll become a Captain, huh? You still can't use your Bankai here in the world of the living. All you managed to do was become stronger." Yumichika laughed and swung at Shūhei. "Let's see how well you can fight now."

Orihime glanced behind her noticing that Yumichika was completely preoccupied now. Before her, Ulquiorra was bleeding profusely but he was still giving his all to his fight with Kenpachi. She watched in horror as Kenpachi lunged at him yet again and struck him across the chest with his blade. Ulquiorra dropped to a knee and Orihime couldn't take it anymore. She rushed forward with tear filled eyes. "Ulquiorra!"

"Oh no you don't!" Yachiru pounced on Orihime and knocked her to the ground. "Didn't Yun-Yun tell you? Watching only!"

"Yachiru! Stop!" Orihime began to cry hysterically. "If this keeps up he'll be killed! Please! I don't want him to die! I want him to live and be happy and just get to have a normal life like everybody else! I don't want him to fight! I don't want him to die! I don't want him to have to prove himself! I just want his happiness!" She continued to cry as she fought against Yachiru's surprisingly heavy weight. "Please! That's all I ever wanted from the start!"

Ulquiorra looked up in surprise as Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka began to glow brightly from their place against his chest and engulfed him in a soft, warm light. He vaguely remembered this light and warmth from the time just after his death. It was the same sensation that had cradled him in the darkness and pieced him back together and it was the same fleeting feeling that he had when he awoke in Soul Society. He glanced over at Orihime and smiled sadly. "Don't cry Orihime. I told you, I came here to save you. That's what I'm going to do." He stood slowly and held out Murciélago. "_Bankai._"

Kenpachi smiled as green Reiatsu began to fall down from the sky and a thick black mist rose from the ground. Soon they were enclosed in a dark field and he couldn't see or sense a thing. He noted with irritation that it was similar in character to Kaname Tōsen's and that meant less fun for him. "Hey, Ulquiorra! I expected better from you!"

"I could say the same." Ulquiorra listened quietly for the sound of his opponent's breath and heartbeat. He grabbed one of the lances that was forming the barrier and shot it at Kenpachi. The attack's speed and strength had increased greatly and it impaled the massive Shinigami in his uninjured shoulder. Ulquiorra chucked another one and it grazed Kenpachi's shoulder but it was clear he was already learning to dodge.

"Just because I can't see doesn't mean that your attack will keep working on me. But congratulations, Ulquiorra. You're making me do something not many people have been able to make me do." Kenpachi reached up and pulled the eye patch from his eye and tossed the Reiatsu devouring item aside. "Now we can fight completely unhindered."

The wave of Reiatsu that struck Ulquiorra's body was shocking. The barrier they were in was supposed to suppress the Reiatsu of the opponent but Kenpachi's was so massive that it scarcely put a dent in his power without the eye patch on. Still, he couldn't let that distract him. Ulquiorra shot off a handful of lances at his Captain and scowled as the man managed to dodge each one. "Tell me, when does this fight end? When will you be satisfied? I have no intentions of losing to you and I have no intentions of killing you. When will you have your fill?"

"When we're both so torn that we can't even move, that is when I'll call this fight over and you can have your precious woman back!" Kenpachi grinned, Ulquiorra's voice giving him an idea of where to find the other Shinigami. "And thanks for giving me a target to strike at!" He swung his Zanpakutō viciously and slashed Ulquiorra across the chest and down his stomach. The smaller man used Shunpō to put distance between them but it did no good because now he was bleeding and now Kenpachi could follow the sound of blood drops hitting the ground.

Ulquiorra reached out and grabbed a fistful of lances. Using Shunpō to get around quickly, he fired the Reiatsu based weapons off from several directions. He knew Kenpachi couldn't dodge them all and sure enough, half of them stuck into the Captain before dissipating. Kenpachi was wounded and bleeding far worse than Ulquiorra was but the difference was that he thrived on it. He took the temporary lapse in attack as an opportunity to bandage his chest wound. He tore the remains of his kosode and wrapped it around his wound tightly to stop the bleeding and lessen the chance of him being heard. He clipped Orihime's hairpins into the underside of his hair and began launching more lances at Kenpachi again.

Kenpachi laughed as one of the lances stabbed through his leg. He could no longer hear Ulquiorra bleeding but he was beginning to hear the labored breaths of the other man who was clearly unused to using Shunpō for an extended amount of time. He swung his Zanpakutō at Ulquiorra and landed the blow somewhere on his upper torso which caused him to scream out in pain. "Now, now. There's no crying!"

Ulquiorra grit his teeth and summoned a lance to his hand. He stabbed it forward and through Kenpachi's chest on his left breast. He continued the action again and again furiously until there were four green lances protruding from Kenpachi's chest.

"Tch... is that all you got?" Kenpachi shot his arm out and stabbed Ulquiorra through the abdomen with his Zanpakutō. "I guess you really are weak. You couldn't save that woman even if you tried."

Ulquiorra reached out and grabbed Kenpachi's shoulder. He materialized a lance in his hand and impaled the Captain with all his strength but he didn't release his hold on the weapon. "_Lanza del Relámpago..._" With the utterance of the words, the lance that had been jabbed through Kenpachi's stomach exploded in a beam of green Reiatsu leaving both men blown back by the blast.

Orihime stared ahead in terror as the black barrier that had been shielding Ulquiorra and Kenpachi disappeared with an explosion. She watched the two men fly in opposite directions but she was still being pinned down by Yachiru. Everyone around her that had been fighting paused to stare at the sight before them but neither man was moving. "Ulquiorra! Ulquiorra, are you alright!" Orihime screamed but there was no answer. "Y-yachiru! Let me up! Let me up or they're both as good as dead!"

Yachiru stood quickly and started over to Kenpachi. "Ken-chan, did you have fun?"

Kenpachi looked up at Yachiru and smiled before passing out. There was a massive hole blown through his stomach from Ulquiorra's attack and it was bleeding profusely.

"Wow, that's a big hole! I bet my whole head could fit inside it!" Yachiru giggled happily and ran over to Orihime. "Hey Jiggles, can you fix Ken-chan?"

Orihime looked down at Ulquiorra sadly. His hands and the majority of his forearms had been blown away but he was conscious and he was alive. Tears poured down her face as she glanced at Yachiru. "I'll fix him, but this has to be enough. No more."

"I think that's enough fun for one day." Yachiru said cheerfully. She watched with interest as Orihime took her hairpins from Ulquiorra's hair and created a healing barrier over the men. She ran back over to Kenpachi and watched in amazement as the wound in his gut healed speedily. "Wow, that's so amazing!"

Orihime breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Ulquiorra's wounds heal completely. She smiled down at him and kissed his lips gently. "Don't scare me like that anymore!"

"I'm sorry." Ulquiorra reached up and grabbed the back of Orihime's head, pulling her down into a deep kiss. He pulled her body to straddle him as he continued to kiss her feverishly. "Don't ever go away again."

"I won't." Orihime laughed happily between kisses and dove her hands into Ulquiorra's hair. She pulled him as close to her body as she could and held him tightly. "I love you, Ulquiorra."

"I love you, Orihime." Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around the woman and held onto her happily.

"Well, wasn't that fun?" Yumichika said as he approached the couple.

"Ayasegawa." Ulquiorra glared up at the other man angrily.

"I suppose it's too much to ask for no hard feelings?" Yumichika chuckled and shrugged. "I can't say I blame you. But for the record, I was only following the orders of my Captain. I'm sure that's something you can relate to."

Ulquiorra sat up slowly and continued to stare hard at Yumichika. He was furious but he also knew he couldn't truly blame the other man. He had done the same thing in the past. Also, Yumichika had likely taken very good care of Orihime and her life hadn't been in any real danger despite what he had been led to believe. "Alright, I'll forgive this. But don't you ever touch my woman again!"

Yumichika laughed and shook his head. "I had no such intentions."

"Inoue..." Shūhei looked at the woman in discomfort. He stepped toward the three and placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "Please move aside. I have to place the fugitive under arrest."

"But, Hisagi!" Orihime looked up at Shūhei with tear filled eyes. "Don't do this! He's innocent."

"That's not for you or me to decide. He'll have to stand trial and Central 46 will make their judgments." Shūhei looked down at Orihime apologetically. "I'm sorry, Inoue. This is an order."

"Orihime," Ulquiorra pulled away from Orihime slowly. "this is the way it has to be for now. I'll go willingly. If I put up a fight now it will only look bad. Don't worry. Everything will be alright."


	14. This World Turns Cold

So here we are at the conclusion of the story.

I hope you've enjoyed it thus far. Thanks to all of those who stuck with it to the end. It means a lot! If you enjoyed reading this, I'm happy to let you know that I WILL be writing some more stories. I have an UlqHime one-shot that I'm almost finished with and I should be submitting it soon. For those of you who like darker, more adult content, I will be uploading a story for that too.

Without further ado , I present to you the final chapter.

4 Stop and Stare- One Republic  
>4* Your Guardian Angel- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus<p>

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><p>"Fourth Seat Officer Ulquiorra Cifer, you are being tried for your crimes against Soul Society. You have been found guilty on all seven counts; kidnapping and forcible detainment of a human girl and ally to Soul Society, allying yourself with the known traitor Sōsuke Aizen in an attempt to destroy Soul Society, refusing to keep in accordance with an order to distance yourself from a student of interest at Shinō Academy, resisting arrest, escaping from prison willingly and knowingly, traveling to the world of the living without a direct order to do so and attacking a Captain without probable cause. We shall now proceed with the sentence. Before this council I state, it has been decreed that Fourth Seat Officer Ulquiorra Cifer is to be executed in a manner to be decided at a further date..."<p>

...

Ulquiorra sighed and stared up at the ceiling. It had been eight very long days since he had been sentenced to death by Central 46 and he had nothing to do but sit in his cell and wait for them to give him an execution date. He hadn't seen a single familiar face outside of Hanatarō Yamada's and even then it was only when he was bringing food. Everyone else that came in was violent and hostile. He heard footsteps approaching and hoped that it was meal time though he truly had no sense of time in the prison. As long as it wasn't some guard come to hassle him though, he didn't care who it was or what their intentions were. He was relieved when he heard Hanatarō's voice greeting him and he sat up to face the young Shinigami. "Good morning, Yamada."

Hanatarō smiled softly at Ulquiorra. "Actually it's evening." He brought a tray of food over to the man and sat it down just outside the cell. "I have good news for you."

Ulquiorra scoffed and lay back down on the bed. "Unless it's news that Central 46 has overturned their ruling, it can't be all that good."

"Well, it isn't that." Hanatarō glanced behind him nervously. "The thirteenth division was placed in charge of your care starting this week. They're the new guards and, well..."

Rukia entered the room calmly and walked over to the cell where Ulquiorra lay. "Ulquiorra Cifer."

Ulquiorra sat up and looked at Rukia curiously. He knew her as a friend of Orihime and Ichigo's but outside of a few chance encounters in Soul Society, they had never formally met. "Rukia Kuchiki."

Rukia smiled to herself and closed her eyes. "For better or worse, I was placed in charge of directing the officers here to care for you however I see fit. Despite that your future is now in my hands, there were still specific guidelines I was given to follow. One, I must never allow your handcuffs to be removed. Two, for no reason are you to ever exit your cell. Three, your meals will be given to you when dictated and if you do not eat in the allotted time then you do not eat at all. And four, perhaps the strictest and most important guideline, under no circumstances is Orihime Inoue _ever _allowed within the confines of this room. Do you understand?"

4 Ulquiorra nodded slowly and looked away from Rukia. "You didn't have to tell me that. I figured as much on my own."

"However, that's not to say that mistakes can't be made. I mean, it's my first night on the job and I don't know what I'm doing quite yet. So to say that I _accidentally_ gave every guard in the facility the same fifteen minute break time would be understandable. It would also be understandable if, because of my rookie mistake, persons who have been prohibited from the facility somehow wandered into this room without proper guidance during that fifteen minute break." Rukia smiled widely down at Ulquiorra as his eyes widened in shock. She heard the door open behind her followed by rushed footsteps.

"Orihime!" Ulquiorra jumped to his feet and rushed over to the bars of the cell.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime fought back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes and reached through the bars to touch his face. "R-rangiku told me that they want to execute you. Is that true?"

Ulquiorra pressed his face deeper into Orihime's hand and closed his eyes. "Don't think about that right now."

"Ulquiorra," Orihime looked to him sadly. "is it true?"

"It is." Ulquiorra opened his eyes slowly and stared at Orihime's pain filled face. "But I'm not afraid of death."

"This isn't fair!" Orihime put her head against the bars as tears began streaming down her face. "This is wrong!"

"They've been looking for a reason to rid themselves of me for a long time. Now they've found it. There's nothing we can do." Ulquiorra reached up with his cuffed hands and gripped Orihime's, bringing it to his lips. "I'm not afraid to join the cycle of reincarnation. It was more than I could have ever asked for when I was a Hollow and now, it's better than spending thousands of years in a cell alone being kept away from you."

"But..." Orihime shook her head. "I don't want to be without you."

"You won't be for too long. I'll be born in the world of the living. I'll grow up, I'll age, I'll die and with any luck I'll come here and find you all over again. It happens to us all eventually anyhow." Ulquiorra pressed his face into her palm once more and smiled sadly. "So don't be sad. Don't cry."

"But I don't want you to be alone." Orihime ran her fingers through Ulquiorra's hair. "Let me go with you."

"What?" Ulquiorra pulled away from Orihime and shook his head in anger. "Don't say something like that! You've got your whole life to live-"

"Without you in it!" Orihime said through her tears. "And that's a life I don't want! It was hard enough accepting it once. I don't want to have to accept it another time! I'd live a thousand different lives if it meant I could have you by my side always."

"But Matsumoto and Kuchiki, Kurosaki and the others..." Ulquiorra stared at Orihime in confusion. "Your goal was to become a Shinigami so that you could work alongside them."

"My goal is to be with you." Orihime smiled and reached through the bars for Ulquiorra to come close again. "I just died in the world of the living. My life as Orihime Inoue can end and I'll be completely alright with that as long as the next life I have begins with you in it. Will you let me accompany you through the cycle of reincarnation?"

"Inoue." Rukia stared at her friend in disbelief. "There's no guarantee that the two of you will be reincarnated together. You may not even know each other!"

"Kuchiki, when bonds are formed our hearts tie together as one. Throughout this whole room is an invisible string that connects us all. It's that connection I share with Ulquiorra that lets me know that we'll be together." Orihime looked at Rukia with a sad smile. "I know this is a lot to ask, but could you help us?"

"Help kill you! Are you insane!" Rukia gawked at Orihime and shook her head. "There are other options!"

"There are, but there is nothing that sounds quite as fitting as getting a fresh start at a new life. We _could_ run away. We could escape but we'd spend our whole lives looking over our shoulders waiting for the day when finally we are found and ripped apart all the same. I don't want that. I want a peaceful and happy life where we can just live without the fear of being torn from each other. I don't want to run and I don't want to hide. I don't want to have to live a life without him." Orihime looked at Rukia pleadingly. "I said it's a lot to ask of you and it is, but I can't think of another person I would rather have sending me to a new happy life than you, Kuchiki."

"This is..." Rukia clenched her fists tightly and reached out to slap Orihime across the face. "This is so unfair of you Inoue!" She stared up at the taller woman with tears streaming down her face. "No matter what choice I make, I'm the one saddled with the guilt! I'm the one that has to live with my decision!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Orihime looked down at Rukia apologetically. "I've been thinking about this since Rangiku told me his sentence. No, even before that. I think that deep down I always knew that we'd never be able to live a happy life together as the people we are now. The names we carry also carry a heavy burden and a lot of baggage. We were just fooling ourselves to think we could live this life together forever. There was always something against us and it wasn't necessarily the people. It was the fates that were tied to these lives that kept us apart. I want to escape all that and I ask you selfishly and unfairly to help me because I trust you and I can't trust anyone else with this task."

Rukia stared up at Orihime and started to laugh despite the tears running down her face. "Inoue, you were always such a selfless person. You always put everyone else's needs and wants before your own. Despite what you're asking of me, I'm glad to see you're finally putting yourself first for once."

"I'm sorry, Kuchiki. I really am. I know it isn't fair of me to ask you like this right here and now. but we might not get another chance." Orihime smiled at Rukia. "I know that we'll meet again one day and I may not remember you, I may not recognize you but you will always be one of my very dearest friends. I love you."

"I love you too, Inoue." Rukia drew her Zanpakutō and held it out toward the two. "Hanatarō. you should leave now." She stared at Orihime quietly. Tears were pouring down both women's faces but somehow, Orihime looked strangely at peace and Rukia felt the same. "_Dance, Sode no Shirayuki._"

Orihime pulled off the hairpins from her hair and handed them over to Rukia as Hanatarō made his exit. "This is just for safe keeping, until we meet again."

Rukia nodded and smiled. "See you later, Inoue."

Orihime nodded with a sad smile and stepped closer to Ulquiorra. She reached through the cell and grabbed his hands tightly. "Are you ready?"

Ulquiorra stared down at Orihime. He had been ready to accept his death when it was only him that was going to die. Now he felt guilty that he was taking Orihime with him but he also felt joy that she was willing to go happily along with him to the next life. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure." Orihime pressed her face to the bars and pulled Ulquiorra against them so that she could kiss him one last time. She pressed her lips to his and smiled a genuinely happy smile for the first time in days.

"I'm ready." Ulquiorra gripped Orihime's hands tightly and stared at her calmly.

Rukia took a deep breath and held her Zanpakutō upside down. "_Some no mai, Tsukishiro..._" She watched quietly as the pillar of ice encircled Orihime and Ulquiorra and froze them over quickly. They looked so happy. She turned her back in enough time to avoid seeing the ice shatter into thousands of pieces and hurried out of the prison. There would be no evidence that she had helped them, there would be no trace of anything in the room at all except maybe some water from the melted ice and residual Reiatsu from her presence there but that was easily explained. She clipped Orihime's hairpins to the top of her right glove and pulled her sleeve down to cover them. She noted with sadness and a bit of relief that Orihime's Reiatsu was no longer emanating from the Shun Shun Rikka.

...

"What're you staring at?" Ichigo asked as he snuck up behind Rukia.

"Ack! I-ichigo! Don't do that to me!" Rukia stomped on Ichigo's foot and crossed her arms. "Why are you spying on me!"

"Because on the first day of every month you come here to this place and you stare." Ichigo looked at Rukia curiously. "Once a month you come to the world of the living. You've been doing it for the past five and a half years and your location has been sporadic until this year. What's so special about this place?"

"Stick around long enough and you might get to see." Rukia smiled as a school bell chimed and the gated playground before them became instantly flooded with children. She walked over to fence and waited patiently until she saw the face she was looking for. "Ai! Over here!"

Ichigo watched in confusion as a small girl with bright orange hair came running up to the fence. Rukia was not in a Gigai so the girl shouldn't have been able to see or hear Rukia but she did. He stepped closer to the two to hear what they were saying.

Rukia knelt down and pulled out the two hairpins that had once belonged to Orihime Inoue. She displayed them to the girl before her and smiled happily. "I want to give you a very important gift, Ai. These hairpins once belonged to a very special friend of mine. She gave them to me for safe keeping but I want you to have them now."

"Rukia!" Ichigo reached out to stop Rukia from handing over the hairpins but he was too late. "What are you doing? Those were Inoue's! Don't just recklessly give them to some little girl!"

"And why not?" Rukia asked irritably. She smiled as Ai tucked the hairpins into her hair and motioned to the little girl. "I think they suit her just fine, don't you?"

"I-inoue?" Ichigo stared down at the girl in awe as he took in the sight. The girl with her bubbly smile and bright orange hair did resemble Orihime a lot, especially with the hairpins in her hair. "Could she really be-"

"Now Ai, those are very special. It's important that you take very good care of them. You never know, they just might help you save someone's life one day." Rukia smiled cheerfully down at the girl before her. "Understand?"

Ai nodded vigorously and smiled up at Rukia. "Thank you, Miss Shinigami! I'll keep them safe and I'll always treasure them!"

"That's a good girl Ai. That's a good girl." Rukia stood slowly and looked into the distance. Near the sandbox sat a lonely little boy being picked on by two of the bigger kids. She smiled down at Ai and motioned to the little boy. "Do you see that little boy over there? It sure looks like he could use your help."

"Vacío?" Ai furrowed her brow and looked back at Rukia curiously. "But he threatened to tell on me for talking to you! He said I shouldn't talk to strangers, especially ones who dress all in black and carry samurai swords. He said if he had to, he'd tell the teacher on me just to stop me from talking to you. I don't like to see them be mean to him but I don't think he likes me very much."

Rukia laughed and shook her head. "Now, that's not true at all. I think the opposite is true. I think Vacío likes you a lot. In fact, I think he likes you so much that he's secretly worried about you but he doesn't know how to tell you so he threatened to tell on you because that's the only way he knows to keep you so safe."

4* "Really!" Ai looked up at Rukia with wide eyes. "You really think so!"

Rukia nodded with a bright smile. "I know so."

"So he's secretly really nice." Ai turned to face the sandbox and clenched her fists. "You're right, Miss Shinigami. I should save him no matter what it takes!" She turned quickly and waved to Rukia happily. "See you later Miss Shinigami. Bye bye Mr. Mean-face Shinigami!"

"M-mean-face!" Ichigo shrieked but Ai was already across the playground standing between the little boy and the two bullies that were kicking sand on him. "RUKIA!" He gripped Rukia's head tightly and grumbled at her. "When were you planning on telling me you had found Inoue and Ulquiorra's reincarnations!"

"I wasn't. It's a strictly need to know basis and you didn't need to know. Don't forget, over half of Soul Society still believes that Ulquiorra broke out of jail and ran off with Inoue. They don't need to know what truly happened. Besides, I wasn't even certain of it myself until I brought the Shun Shun Rikka here. Her Reiatsu is similar to Inoue's but it isn't completely the same. I didn't know for sure until I felt those hairpins vibrating in anticipation." Rukia smiled and shrugged. "And wherever Inoue was, I knew Ulquiorra wouldn't be too far away. He was the only child here that I had caught staring at me and Ai confirmed it. I can only assume it's him."

Ichigo watched as one of the bullies that had been kicking sand at Vacío now turned his attention on Ai and began pulling her hair. It didn't seem to take much of this for the timid green eyed boy to pounce on the bully and knock him over angrily. Ichigo chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, that's him."

Rukia sighed happily and began walking away from the school. "Do you think they'll grow up together and continue to protect each other like that?"

Ichigo followed after Rukia after taking one last glance at the two on the playground. "That was Inoue's will, wasn't it?"

Rukia nodded slowly and glanced back at Ichigo.

"And she has her Shun Shun Rikka now. They react to her will and make it a reality..." Ichigo smiled up at the sky with relief. "Yeah, I think they will."


End file.
